


The Aftermath

by Drabbles_M1



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Attempted Kidnapping, Birthday, Birthday Party, Christmas, Christmas Party, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Explosives, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, First Christmas, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Guns, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), Los Angeles, Meet the Family, Meeting the Parents, Mild Language, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Period-Typical Sexism, Reconciliation, Snow, Strategic Scientific Reserve, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence, christmas day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:01:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24457873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drabbles_M1/pseuds/Drabbles_M1
Summary: We find Agent Peggy Carter in 1946 in New York City. This story follows the life of Peggy juggling her job working for the SSR, dealing with the challenges of motherhood and her personal life. Will Peggy ever be able to move on from the heartache of losing her darling Steve Rogers? Or will an unexpected relationship help her overcome her heartache? AU Story - This story can also be found on Fanfiction.Net under the name of Drabbles-M)
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I feel like I am very late to the Marvel family. I've always liked Marvel, but recently I watched all of the films and didn't realise how many of them I hadn't watched before. I've also recently watched Agent Carter and started Agents of SHIELD so I'm very invested in the Marvel Universe right now. I've had this idea swirling round in my head for a while and had to write it down. I know there are lots of stories that have been written about Peggy/Steve or Peggy/Daniel, but here we go...I'm not following any story lines from Agent Carter or any of the Marvel films. Don't get me wrong of course I love Peggy and Steve...but there's something about Peggy and Daniel that is just so sweet!
> 
> I do not own Marvel or any of the characters mentioned. I will update when I can. Enjoy!

_15th June 1946_

Peggy woke with a start; panting slightly, forehead and the back of her neck clammed with sweat. One of her hands slowly came up to wipe the beads of sweat from her brow. It took everything in her power not to start crying right there and then. She took a shaky breath in and propped herself up slightly. Peggy had been having the same dream pretty much every night ever since that dreadful day when Steve had crashed the plane. The dream always started with Peggy sitting at the bar in the Stork Club, a neat Whiskey in one hand, the other hand placed delicately on the bar, her manicured fingers tapping impatiently in a steady rhythm, waiting for someone to arrive. All of a sudden, someone saying her name would catch her attention and she would turn to see her darling Steve standing there. His hand would be outstretched to her, gesturing to her if she would like to dance with him. With an adoring smile on her face she would accept his offer and soon they were on the dance floor, Peggy teaching Steve how to dance. They would dance for some time, to slow jazzy songs, her head resting gently against his chest, the two of them swaying from side to side. Suddenly Peggy would lift her head, her eyes locking with Steve's and just before she could do or say anything, Steve would say to her. "I'm sorry I crashed the plane. I'm so sorry." And all of a sudden out of nowhere Steve would disappear and the vision of a plane crashing would always end the dream and jolt Peggy awake.

Just as she was back into a steady rhythm of breathing, the familiar sound of a babies wailing captured Peggy's senses. With an almighty heave she threw the covers off of her and swung her legs round off the edge of the bed, a move that had been well practiced since becoming a mother. Her breath hitched slightly as the cold wooden surface came into contact with her bare feet. Her feet scrambled around, swinging from side to side to try and come into contact with her slippers. Once retrieved and slipped on, Peggy planted her feet solidly on the ground and slowly stood up. She padded over to her wardrobe to grab her dressing gown and she slung it over her shoulders. The cries from the room down the hall grew somewhat louder, and Peggy made her way to the nursery. She creaked open the door and stepped inside, making her way over to the small crib in the corner of the room after turning on the small lamp. Peering over the top of the crib she was met with piercing blue watering eyes staring up at her. As soon as the little babe locked eyes with her mother the wails turned into quiet whimpers as she placed one of her little fists into her mouth. In one swift movement Peggy scooped the little girl into her arms and she sat herself down into the rocking chair next to the crib. As Peggy settled herself and leaned back into the chair, a small smile appeared on her lips when the baby snuggled up into her chest.

"Now, now…my darling girl. What was all that fuss about?" she asked in a whisper, stroking the soft dark blonde hair on top of her baby's head. Her daughter simply looked up at her and whimpered once more, a small tear gliding down her cheek. Peggy gently brushed her thumb across the smooth skin of her daughter's cheek to wipe away the tear. "Did you have a bad dream Sarah?" She asked, knowing she would get no response; well not one she could understand anyway, but Peggy knew her voice soothed and calmed her little one. "Don't worry. I had a bad dream too my darling…" She cuddled the babe closer to her chest and continued to rock in the chair. The motion of the chair was very soothing indeed, and after a while of Peggy chatting quietly to the baby in her arms, she could feel herself nodding off. Just before she truly fell asleep with her daughter in her arms, she jolted herself awake and looked down. She was so content, so beautiful, and Peggy couldn't quite believe that she had given birth to such a perfect baby. Peggy leant her head down and kissed the crown of her baby's head. Her heart swelled seeing her daughter sleeping soundly in her arms, snuffling a little as she breathed in and out evenly. She carefully stood up from the rocking chair and gently placed her daughter into the crib, moving her little stuffed bear closer and pulling her knitted blanket over her to keep her warm. "Sleep well my little love." She said quietly before making her way back to the door. She turned back one last time to look at her daughter, leaning against the doorway.

Tears threatened to fall from her brown orbs, a feeling of sadness rushing through her. If only Steve was here to see their beautiful daughter. If only. Those were two words that Peggy had thought about a lot since she found out she was expecting and even more so since little Sarah had been born. Her darling, Sarah Evelyn Carter was born at 3:21am on 3rd January 1946 and weighed in at a healthy 6 pounds 10 ounces. She had been born with wisps of dark blonde hair on her head, crystal clear blue eyes and the most beautiful long eyelashes that Peggy had ever seen. As soon as it was announced to Peggy that she had a daughter, she knew instantly what name she wanted to give her. Sarah was Steve's mother's name, and it felt very fitting to name her after her paternal grandmother, to keep some of Steve's memory alive. Evelyn was the name of Peggy's nana, whom she adored. A special name for a special little girl. Peggy sighed a little to herself as she continued to stare lovingly at the baby in the crib. Why oh why did Steve have to be such a hero? Even after a year of him being gone, the heartache she feels for him is still there, and she wonders if it will ever go away; if she will ever be able to move on. Peggy's pregnancy had been long and hard, but she counted her lucky stars that she had wonderful people around her and that she didn't have to face it alone. Steve had crashed the plane a mere few weeks before VE Day and a month or so after the monumental day, Peggy was offered a job across the pond in New York, to work for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR). She arrived in the Big Apple and soon after she started working there, Peggy felt like she had lost her purpose. She felt like she contributed a lot to the War and to Project Rebirth, and being stuck doing paperwork and running for coffee and lunch orders was certainly not what she planned on doing for the rest of her life. However, finding out she was carrying Steve's baby had reignited that sense of purpose inside of her. When Peggy found out she was pregnant it certainly was a massive shock. There were no symptoms at all really, well maybe apart from feeling a little sick now and again, but she just put that down to tiredness and maybe skipping a meal or two. One morning in the office, Peggy had stood up from her desk and a sudden rush of nausea and light-headedness caused her to faint. After the embarrassment of waking up to see all of her colleagues staring at her, Chief Dooley had insisted she take the rest of the day off and go to the doctors immediately. After nervously telling the Chief her news, she had expected him right there and then to let her go from her job, but since she had come very highly recommended to him by Colonel Phillips, he had made a very rare exception, provided that she would find appropriate child care for her baby. She would cross that bridge when it came to it.

With her job still in tact, she knew she had to fix her living arrangements. Peggy had originally been sharing a small double room with a lovely girl named Colleen. Their living arrangements worked well for them at the time due to their schedules being completely different and only having one bed in the room was not an issue. Soon after finding out she was expecting, she sifted through every newspaper she could find and luckily had found an advertisement in the paper for a two bedroomed apartment that was surprisingly very cheap for the area and well within her budget. Peggy immediately called and arranged a viewing, not wanting to miss out on a good opportunity such as this. An older couple, George and Isabella, owned the building and lived in the ground floor apartment. Peggy had later found out that George's father had been a very wealthy businessman and was the original owner of the apartment building. His father had left it to him to do with as he pleased. They had decided to move into the ground floor apartment and rent out the other two. Within five minutes of looking around and chatting to the couple, both George and Isabella and even Peggy herself knew that this arrangement was going to work well. Peggy had been honest with the couple about the baby from the start, well as honest as a woman could be in her situation. She had told George and Isabella that her baby's father had died in the War and she was currently working for "The Phone Company". That's what she called the SSR to people outside of her profession. She daren't tell them whom she really worked for. When little Sarah arrived, Isabella had offered to babysit for Peggy while she was at work. Since she was at home anyway and only lived downstairs, it made sense for her to help out. Peggy had grown very fond of George and Isabella, and they had grown fond of Peggy. One evening, when Peggy was half way through her pregnancy, the couple invited her around for dinner and drinks, non-alcoholic for her of course. They enjoyed a lovely meal and after a few drinks, George and Isabella opened up to Peggy. The couple revealed that they had had a daughter, Natalie, many years ago but unfortunately passed away when she was about twelve years old in a terrible accident. They didn't divulge any more information about the accident, but went on to discuss how they never had any more children after such a tragic loss. Peggy soon found herself opening up to them also. She spoke of her life back in England, her overbearing mother, her adoring father, and Michael, her older brother who was sadly killed in action. She told tales of the two of them as children playing in their back garden, them growing up together and how much she adored her older brother. Peggy still kept in contact with her mother and father through letters and phone calls. To say Peggy's mother Amanda was disappointed in her daughter for having a child out of wedlock was a bit of an understatement. She knew her mother wouldn't take it well and dreaded telling her parents. However, as soon as her parents had received photographs of their granddaughter in the letters, she had gotten a phone call from her father telling her how gorgeous his granddaughter Sarah was. He had also complimented her on using her Nana's name for Sarah's middle name and was proud that she was keeping her Nana's memory alive. He reassured her that they would never disown Peggy for her circumstances. However, despite this, Peggy so badly wished that her brother were still alive. He would know what to say to her to make her feel better. He would understand; he always did.

There was also Howard and the Jarvis'. Howard Stark was Peggy's old friend whom she met during Project Rebirth. He had been delighted when Peggy made the move over to New York and was looking forward to catching up with his dear friend from across the pond. Upon hearing the news of the baby, his search to find Steve became more frantic, but every lead they thought they had would be a dead end. One day when Howard was updating her on their findings, she blurted out that he should call off the search all together. She was fed up giving herself false hope. Of course Peggy was extremely grateful that Howard cared about Steve as much as she did and was doing everything he could to find him, but Peggy felt like they should stop kidding themselves. Steve was gone. Howard quite enjoyed the Uncle role that he had taken on when little Sarah was born and Peggy enjoyed teasing Howard by calling him 'Uncle Howie' to baby Sarah in front of him. She loved to see him squirm. They always had that easygoing banter between them, but there was nothing more there between them than just friendship. Howard had introduced Peggy to his butler Mr. Edwin Jarvis and his wife Ana. The two of them were certainly opposites of each other. Ana being far more outgoing and confident than Mr. Jarvis, but his timid nature and sensibility complimented their marriage well. Ana had been extremely helpful during Peggy's pregnancy. She had made Peggy some lovely maternity dresses in gorgeous patterned material, seeing as her normal clothes no longer fit her. Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis had welcomed them into their lives with open arms and Peggy was rather fond of both of them.

Most recently, Peggy had met a delightful and vibrant young lady called Angie Martinelli, who worked as a waitress at the L&L Automat, a little diner near the office. She considered Angie to be a friend even though she had only known her for a matter of weeks. She had seen Angie from afar at the diner numerous times before when collecting the lunch orders, but they only properly started talking after Peggy had stood up to a rather rude customer who made a very vulgar comment about Angie and had slapped her on the bottom. She had gone over to the man and dug a fork into his side, threatening to stab him unless he found a different place to eat and to tip generously. When Angie found out, the next time she crossed paths with Peggy she had thanked her profusely; Peggy merely shaking her head and saying that there was no need for thanks. Many a time Peggy would spend her days off having lunch in the diner with Sarah sitting on her lap, Peggy munching on the delicious food they served; key lime pie was Peggy's guilty pleasure and she even let little Sarah try a teeny tiny bit of the smooth cream, to which she got most of it smeared over her face rather than in her mouth. When Peggy was in the diner with Sarah, Angie spent many of her lunch breaks sat in one of the booths with them, telling tales of her audition successes and disasters and stealing cuddles off of Sarah. Angie was an actress trying to make it big on Broadway and from what Peggy had seen, she knew that one day she would make it big. Peggy had a lot of respect for her; taking rejection after rejection and still turning up to work at the diner to put in her all to be able to get by.

And of course there was Daniel Sousa. He worked with Peggy at the SSR and had suffered a lot during the war, having lost half of one of his legs in battle. Despite all of this, Daniel was very good at his job and Peggy had never looked at him any differently, just like he never treated her any different just because she was a woman. Daniel was the only one in the office who had ever stood up for Peggy when the other men were rude or vulgar towards her. Peggy faced constant sexism in the workplace but from her tough exterior it looked as though their comments never fazed her. The men were just jealous of the fact that a woman could ever have been a field agent. There was one Agent in particular, Agent Jack Thompson, who really grated on her. She didn't know why she let him bother her so much. It was probably because he constantly reminded her that woman in this age should be at home playing the housewife role and were no longer needed once the war was over. The news of Peggy's pregnancy would only heighten the vulgar comments, and when the news did somehow circulate the office, Peggy; for the first time in her life, felt very self-conscious. They weren't exactly being quiet about it. Daniel could sense her discomfort and one afternoon when she was doing the lunch run, he had offered to go with her and on their walk to the diner; he had congratulated her on her news. He had an idea of who the father was but he daren't say anything. If Peggy wanted him or anyone to know she would divulge that information on her own accord. There had been rumours of Peggy being Captain America's girl, the newsreel with her picture in Steve's compass hadn't helped matters during the war, but she simply turned a blind eye to the fact that the men in the office were clearly gossiping. They were exactly like silly teenage girls. Well, all of them, except Daniel Sousa. There certainly was a mutual respect between them, and she very much valued their friendship.

Pushing these thoughts of her friends from her mind, Peggy hadn't realised how long she had been standing there in the doorway, staring into space. She brought her hand up wiped a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek and retreated from the doorway and closed the door gently. She made her way back down the hallway to her bedroom to try and get a few more hours sleep before her alarm would go off for her to start getting ready to go to work. She hoped she would drift off pretty quickly, if not, it would be an awfully long day for her on just a few hours sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two! 
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos. I haven't written anything in years so it's nice to know people are enjoying what I'm writing. Once again I will update when I can.
> 
> Enjoy!

_16 th June 1946_

The familiar sound of the alarm clock stirred Peggy from her slumber. With a swipe of her arm, her hand searched around for the clock perched on the nightstand. The loud ringing eventually subsided after being hit a few times. Peggy slowly opened her eyes and stretched her arms and legs under the soft sheets. A quiet groan passed her lips when she was satisfied with her stretch. Peggy let out a little sigh before pushing the covers off of her and standing up from the bed. With her slippers firmly on her feet she retrieved her dressing gown and went over and drew back the curtains; securing them with the tiebacks. Tea. She desperately needed a nice hot cup of tea. Getting up at six o’clock in the morning was just part of her daily routine now but sleep was very much treasured these days with having Sarah around. Like a rehearsed dance Peggy grabbed the kettle, filled it up with water and placed it on the stove before heating. She grabbed one of her teacups and saucers from the cupboard, a teaspoon from the drawer and deposited a tea bag in the cup. Peggy leant herself against the counter and folded her arms, waiting for the anticipated sounds of squealing from the kettle to signal that the water was boiled. She stifled a yawn with a hand covering her mouth that felt like it came from the souls of her feet. She must admit that last night was one of her better nights, having slept more than she had in a very long time, even with her bad dream jolting her awake and checking on Sarah. The loud whistling from the kettle brought Peggy from her thoughts and she quickly grabbed it off the stove, minimizing the noise so that it wouldn’t wake Sarah. Too late. Just as Peggy poured the water into the cup to let it infuse, sounds of crying came from the nursery. She was so close to getting that cup of tea. Sighing a little, she left the newly brewed tea on the side, quickly prepared a bottle of formula and went through to her daughter’s room.

Pushing the door open she smiled as she saw Sarah lying there, her little hands clasped around her favourite stuffed bear, chewing on its ear. One thing Peggy would say is that Sarah definitely inherited her lungpower; she wasn’t shy when wanting to make herself heard. “Good morning my darling. Did you sleep well?” She asked as she placed the bottle down next to the rocking chair before leaning over into the crib to pick Sarah up into her arms. Sarah let the bears ear drop from her mouth and she beamed up at Peggy with a big toothless smile. The little girl adored her mother and Peggy loved the bones of Sarah. They were quite a pair. As Peggy sat in the rocking chair she leant down and picked up the bottle and teased it at Sarah’s mouth before she latched onto it. “There we go, you hungry little thing.” Peggy spoke with a hint of laughter in her voice as she watched Sarah lap up her milk from the bottle. Peggy sighed once more; she was thinking about how she had tried her best to breastfeed Sarah as much as possible. She had been finding it hard the last few weeks to produce much milk and to her dismay started relying on using the formula. Most babies to her knowledge got breastfed up until they were six months and then switched to cow’s milk after that so she wouldn’t be on the formula for much longer. She couldn’t quite believe how quickly her little girl was growing up. It felt as though the past five months had gone by in a flash. Sarah was already starting to develop quite the bubbly personality. Every time Sarah smiled at her mother, Peggy’s heart swelled so much she thought it would burst from her chest. Once feeding was done, Peggy burped Sarah and changed her diaper before dressing her into the sweetest little floral dress, socks and patent shoes. After dressing her, Peggy sat Sarah up on the dressing table with her arms holding the baby steady and she admired her. “Well don’t you just look adorable?” She chuckled and tapped her index finger gently on Sarah’s nose, to which her daughter giggled; a sound Peggy couldn’t get enough of. With Sarah cuddled into her chest she padded through to her bedroom and propped Sarah up on some pillows so she could keep an eye on her whilst she dressed. Peggy opened her wardrobe and pulled out a black pencil skirt, matching blazer and a light blue blouse. She also grabbed her stockings and undergarments from the dresser and then her favourite pair of heels that were tucked underneath the bottom of the bed. She hurriedly changed into her outfit; all the while glancing at Sarah who was quite content chewing on her stuffed bears ear. “That poor bear…” Peggy chuckled to herself and she went to sit at her vanity and sort out her hair. She unpinned each curl and styled it, before putting on her makeup in record time; something she had learned to do quickly with a baby in the house. A final dab of perfume and she was ready. Peggy stood up and went over to Sarah and scooped her into her arms and spun her around playfully. “Now darling…do I look up to scratch to go and face those men in the office?” She kissed Sarah’s cheek and gasped a little when her lipstick had rubbed off on her cheek. She swiftly removed it with a gentle swipe of her thumb. “That’s much better.”

After dropping Sarah off downstairs to Isabella, she said goodbye and made her way to work. Peggy made a point of getting up a little earlier in case of any emergencies with getting Sarah ready as well as herself. It meant she had more time to enjoy her walk to the office; taking in all the sights of the buildings and people watching of course. In all the years Peggy had worked, she was never late and took pride in her track record. As she stood outside her place of work she looked up at the sign before taking a deep, calming breath. Here we go again. Upon entering the building she glided down to the elevator, greeting her friend Rose cheerfully before stepping in. The clip clop sounds of her heels coming in to the office caused the men to look up briefly. As she neared her own desk she passed Daniel Sousa, who gave her a small smile. “Agent Carter. Good morning.” He spoke quietly but with purpose. Peggy’s eyes lit up a little hearing him greet her. He was the only one who ever spoke to her as if she were an equal.

“Good morning Agent Sousa.” Peggy replied, a bit of surprise in her voice. She placed her purse down on the desk and sat down; the sight of the mountain of paperwork in front of her was already making her regret coming into work today. Even though they had fought valiantly against HYDRA in the war, they were still out there wreaking havoc. There had been quite a few new leads in the past few days and everything needed to be documented and filed. Peggy spent the majority of the day going through the papers, taking phone calls, making coffees for the men and running for the lunch orders; another mundane day in the office. She longed for the day that she could actually go on a mission and contribute like she did in the war. There was always that fear inside Peggy that it might never happen. Immediately forcing that thought from her mind, she peered up and saw that smug idiot Agent Thompson slinking over in her direction. She rolled her eyes and returned to skimming through the piece of papers in her hand, trying to look busy so he would take the hint and leave her alone.

“Well, well, well Agent Carter.” Jack reached her desk and gently perched himself on the edge. He waited a moment for her to reply, but upon receiving no response, he pressed further with his part of the conversation. “Nothing to say? That’s a rarity for you Marge.” Peggy grimaced at the mention of his nickname for her. She absolutely loathed it. Jack looked down and spotted a picture frame on her desk next to the papers. He grabbed it and turned it carefully in his hands to have a peak. It was a picture of Peggy and Sarah as a newborn. He studied the photograph for a moment before speaking again. “Shouldn’t you be at home looking after your daughter? You know…” He leaned a little closer to her. “…What a woman should be doing?” That comment caused Peggy to stop what she was doing and glare up at him, the pen in her hand now frozen on the part she was reading. Unbeknown to them, while this was going on, Daniel had been listening in to the conversation, making sure Jack didn’t go too far.

“What I do with my life is absolutely none of your business Agent Thompson.” Peggy said coldly, watching him carefully, noticing he was holding the photo. “Put that back please.” She demanded, referring to the picture frame.

Jack scoffed a little and placed the photograph down onto the desk. “Surely a dame like you can get yourself a fella who can look after you and the little tyke so you don’t have to work. Or have you scared most of the guys off in New York with your situation?” Jack smirked like the smug dimwit he was. In the background, Daniel felt his eyes close and he cringed at that comment, his hands curling into fists.

Peggy could feel her blood boiling. Her brown eyes narrowed as she digested what he said. With a slam of her pen on the desk, she slowly stood up from her chair. Daniel too got up, grabbing his crutch to support himself as he stood up fully to watch the scenario unfold. “Now you listen to me, Jack Thompson.” Peggy started, articulating every single syllable. “I can take the comments. I can take the gossiping. But don’t you dare talk about my daughter.” She spat out that last part, feeling her voice wobbling slightly.

“You don’t belong here Peggy. Stop kidding yourself.”

“You know what Jack? You are a complete a-“ Peggy started to bite back but Daniel cut her off before she could complete that insult.

“Listen Jack. Just back off. I think you’ve said enough!” Daniel barked, finally interjecting into their conversation, not being able to hold back any longer.

Both Peggy and Agent Thompson stopped suddenly hearing their colleague interrupt them from their spat. Jack turned round to face Daniel and scoffed a laugh. “You standing up for her now? What’s that about Sousa?” He raised his voice and just before it escalated any further, Chief Dooley came storming out of his office to break up the argument.

“What is going on here? You know what? I don’t even want to know! Cut it out the lot of you! I’ve just had a very important phone call and I need everyone except Agent Carter in the meeting room. NOW!” He bellowed, storming across to the meeting room, slamming the door firmly behind him. Peggy gulped slightly, bringing her head down. Had Daniel really just stood up to Jack for her? He had made comments to the men before to get them to shut up but never quite like this. As the Agents started filing out of the room one by one, it only left Daniel and Peggy in the office. Peggy’s eyes were cloudy with tears threatening to fall, but she knew better than to show her emotions in front of her colleagues. The two of them stood in silence for a moment, before Daniel finally broke the silence, not being able to take it for much longer.

“Peggy. I am so-“ Daniel started to speak quietly but it was now Peggy’s turn to cut him off.

“Thank you.” She stated simply. “Thank you for doing that.” All this time she had been looking down at her hands that were nervously wringing together. Peggy finally tilted her head up to meet Daniel’s gaze and his heart sank as he saw the hurt in her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that. I can take care of myself.”

“Are you okay?” He took a tentative step forward and Peggy’s gaze never left his. She shrugged her shoulders before gesturing towards the meeting room.

“You should get going.”

“Oh…erm. Yes. I’ll just go…to the meeting now.” Daniel awkwardly stalked off and headed in to start the meeting with the Chief and the other agents. Peggy sat back down at her desk, pushing back the tears and carrying on with the paperwork in front of her. The end of her shift couldn’t come quick enough.

* * *

At precisely 5 o’clock on the dot Isabella heard a knock at the door and she knew exactly who it was. Peggy was home to pick up Sarah. When Isabella opened the door she was met with a rather blurry eyed and tear stained Peggy, not the usual state she would find her in. “Hello Peggy. What’s wrong?” The older woman asked, clearly very concerned for her friend. She used the term friend now because they had known Peggy for a while and were very fond of both her and Sarah. She wasn’t just a tenant to them. After brushing it off and making up some excuse about her boss giving her a hard time, Isabella ushered Peggy inside their apartment. As soon as Peggy set eyes on her daughter, who was lying down in a crib in the living room, she dropped her purse on the floor and raced over, plucked her out of the crib and cuddled her daughter close to her chest.

“Hello poppet. Oh, mummy has missed you.” She peppered Sarah’s little face with plenty of kisses, not worrying about the transferring of lipstick; she would bathe her soon anyway. Sarah giggled loudly when Peggy’s kisses tickled her, and snuggled into the crook of her mother’s neck. “How was she Isabella?” Peggy asked as she turned back to the older woman, smiling widely now her daughter was back in her arms.

“An absolute angel.” Isabella replied, marveling at the scene in front of her. The relationship between a mother and daughter really is one like no other. “We read lots of stories today, she particularly loved the one about Winnie the Pooh.”

“That’s my girl. Thank you once again Isabella. I really appreciate it.”

“There is no need to thank me. She’s a very happy little girl, and such an easy baby to look after.”

Once they said their goodbyes, Peggy made her way upstairs with Sarah in her arms. As soon as she was through the door she kicked off her heels and she could feel her feet pulsing from the pain of having worn them all day. After feeding, bathing and settling Sarah down for the night, Peggy rustled up a simple meal for her to eat. Peggy certainly was no chef, but she had been trying as of late to experiment with her cooking; tonight’s meal was a stew. After eating about half of the bowl of stew, Peggy found herself absentmindedly playing with her food, her mind casting back to the days events. She still couldn’t get her head around it all. She was angry with Jack for how he treated and spoke to her in front of her colleagues. She was angry with Chief Dooley for not including her in the important case yet again. She was just angry at the whole situation to be honest. Giving up any hope of finishing her dinner, Peggy washed, dried and put them back in their rightful place. Waves of sadness washed over her and she felt tears springing to her eyes. She hated feeling like this. A thought suddenly popped into her head and she made her way over to her telephone. Peggy needed to confide in someone and she knew the one person who would listen to her. Peggy thought for a moment before dialing the number of the diner, confidently knowing Angie would be working tonight. Peggy dialed the number and held the phone up to her ear, waiting patiently for someone to answer. After four rings, a familiar voice spoke on the other end of the line.

“L&L Automat, Angie speaking.”

Hearing Angie’s American twang in her ear, Peggy smiled momentarily before speaking. “Hello Angie. It’s Peggy. I’m sorry to call you while you’re at work. I wasn’t sure if you were still on shift or not.”

“English! Man it’s great to hear your voice. It’s been a heck of a day. What’s up?”

“Oh…nothing much really I just…I just wanted…” Peggy found herself stumbling over her words, trying to come up with some excuse as to why she was calling other than to admit that she needed to confide in her friend.

“Is everything okay English?”

Peggy took a shaky breath. “Yes of course. Everything’s fine.” Who was she kidding? Everything was not fine. And evidently it showed in her voice because Angie knew something was wrong.

“You sure English? You don’t sound too convinced.” She leant against the counter in the diner, frowning slightly. Peggy tried her best to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat to be able to coherently reply to Angie, but failed miserably and a quiet, strangled sob escaped her lips. “Oh English. What’s wrong?” She asked as she looked up at the big clock hanging on the wall. “I tell you what, I finish my shift in about twenty minutes and I’ll come over okay? We can talk about things and I’ll bring plenty of schnapps.”

Peggy choked out a chuckle hearing the mention of schnapps. “Th…Thank you Angie. I’ll see you soon.” She sniffed slightly and wiped at her eyes.

“Bye English.” Peggy muttered a goodbye before putting the phone down, biting her bottom lip, trying to stop the tears and compose herself. After a few moments Peggy went through to the living room and sat down on the sofa, pulling one of her cushions close to her chest and hugging it tightly. Hopefully Angie wouldn’t be too much longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems I have a lot of time on my hands. As ever, thank you for the kudos.
> 
> Enjoy!

_16 th June 1946_

Peggy felt like she had been staring at the same spot on the wall for hours. She was leant back into the soft material of the sofa, clutching a pillow close to her chest. Her eyes were red and stinging from the amount she had cried since speaking to Angie on the phone, any hope of her makeup still on her face had gone. A gentle knock at the front door caused Peggy’s head to snap up from its position. Wiping at her eyes, she stood up slowly, depositing the pillow where she was just sat and made her way to the front door of her apartment. Turning the key in the lock, she took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. Peggy hadn’t even managed to get the door fully open before Angie’s arms enveloped her in a hug in an instant. Peggy was a little taken aback by Angie’s actions, but soon found herself wrapping her arms around her friend in return. They stood like that for a while; at first Peggy felt awkward in the embrace but she soon relaxed. Peggy wasn’t a hugger by any means, but she didn’t mind it because she knew that Angie meant well.

“Your landlady saw me outside and she let me in. She seems nice.” Angie spoke quietly but suddenly felt Peggy’s body shaking. She soon realized that Peggy was crying quietly in her arms. “Hey…Peg. Come on, it’s okay.” Angie soothed as she patted Peggy’s back gently. “Let’s go inside and you can tell me what’s bothering you.” Upon hearing her friend’s suggestion, Peggy lifted her head from Angie’s shoulder and nodded. After closing and locking the door she guided Angie into her living room before taking the bottle of schnapps from Angie’s grasp. She politely excused herself to go into the kitchen to retrieve two glasses for the schnapps and a spare handkerchief to wipe her tear stained face.

Whilst Peggy was gone, Angie took a look around the room she found herself in. The décor was simple, yet elegant. A sofa, armchair, bookshelf, lamp and sonographer sat neatly placed in the room. The sounds of a Glenn Miller record filled Angie’s ears; it was on a low volume, obviously keep the noise down for Sarah who was only asleep in the nursery just down the hall. Angie’s eyes averted and drank in the pictures scattered around; one of them hanging on the wall above the sofa while the rest were perched on the windowsill. Angie studied each photo carefully. There was a picture hanging on the wall of what looked like a young Peggy, around six years old with an older boy and two adults, which Angie presumed, was Peggy’s brother and her parents. On the windowsill, there was a photograph of Sarah as a newborn baby; another of a young Peggy and her brother and one of an elderly lady, which Angie thought, might have been Peggy’s nana Evelyn that she had mentioned before in conversations at the diner. As Angie scanned the last photograph on the windowsill she suddenly paused, her hand lingering over it. Taking a chance Angie picked the picture up carefully and admired what she saw. A young, skinny man was staring back at her. Angie didn’t know how she had come to this conclusion but something in her gut was telling her that the young man in the photograph was none other than Sarah’s father. Why else would Peggy keep a picture of a random man in her apartment?

“I don’t have anything to mix it with so I’ve added a little water to chase it but-“ Peggy’s voice caught Angie off guard and she turned swiftly to see her friend holding two glasses of schnapps. Peggy froze when she saw Angie holding Steve’s photograph. She hoped her friend wouldn’t ask too many questions about him; she’d rather keep his identity hidden as much as possible.

“Gee Peg, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on your personal things.” Angie placed the photograph back on the windowsill before turning back to face Peggy. “Now sit down here and tell me what happened. Then I can judge if I need to kick someone’s ass.” Oh if only Angie had known about the amount of times Peggy had to do some ass whooping. Angie sat down on the sofa and patted the space next to her, ushering her friend to join her. Peggy slowly made her way over to where Angie was and sat down next to her, holding out a glass for her to take. Angie gladly accepted the drink with a small smile before waiting for Peggy to talk about what happened.

“I don’t even know where to start Angie. It’s just been a very long day.” Peggy sighed a little and took a sip of her drink. “I just feel underappreciated at work. There’s also a man at the office that’s been really getting on my last nerves lately. Today he went too far. He belittled me in front of everyone.” Peggy took another gulp of her schnapps, screwing her face up a little at the amount of alcohol she swallowed.

“I swear to God English, if I bump into that idiot I am gonna sock it to him.” Angie took a sip of her drink and leant back into the sofa. “Sexist pig.”

“He’s an arse. I don’t know why I let him get to me.”

“It’s because you care about your work. I didn’t realise that people at the phone company could be so awful.” Angie rolled her eyes and placed the glass up to her lips, about to take another sip. Oh if only Angie actually knew whom Peggy worked for.

Before she could think things through the next question spilled from her lips. “Am I a good mum?” Peggy asked which caused Angie to choke on the liquid that was halfway down her throat by this point. After a fit of coughing, Peggy patting Angie on the back gently to help, she eventually calmed down and placed her glass on the floor.

“God Peg. Don’t do that.” She coughed one final time before frowning slightly at her friend, remembering the stupid question she just asked. “What kind of a question is that English? You’re a great mom to that little girl. She adores you! Did that jackass at work say that to you?” Angie raised her voice a little, not quite believing what she was hearing from Peggy. She was one of the strongest women Angie knew and seeing her the tiniest bit vulnerable was very strange for her to witness.

“What if being away at work causes me to miss all of the milestones she’ll reach? Her first word perhaps. Or what about her first steps? Don’t get me wrong I am so greatful for Isabella babysitting whilst I’m away working, but I’m the only parent Sarah’s got since Steve’s not here.” Peggy got a little carried away and let slip Steve’s name. Noticing her own mistake, Peggy coughed a little to clear her throat and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“You’ve never mentioned his name before.” Angie could tell of her friend’s discomfort, but was eager to know more if she’d let her. “Is that Steve?” Angie gestured over to the photograph on the windowsill. “He looks very friendly.” She spoke without thinking and when she turned back round she noticed Peggy’s eyes were clouded with tears.

Peggy nodded ever so slightly. “He was one of the kindest men I ever knew. I just wish he were here to see our little girl grow up. Sarah is so like him Angie. Her blonde hair. Her blue eyes. They’re both from him…Steve.” Peggy took a shaky breath before sipping more of her drink to try and distract herself.

“Listen Peg. Don’t let those guys at work get you down. Like we’ve already established they’re jackasses. And don’t you ever think that you are a bad mom. I’ve seen you with Sarah. Every time she sees you her whole face lights up. You are working so hard so you can support her and buy her nice things.”

Peggy listened to her friend and before she could stop them, salty warm tears treaded down her cheeks. She scoffed a little before wiping at her eyes again. “I swear having a baby has done nothing but make me emotional.” She chuckled slightly before catching Angie’s gaze. “Thanks Angie. Really…thank you.”

The women spent another hour chatting and drinking schnapps before Angie had to call it a night. She had to make her way back to ‘The Griffith’ where she stayed so she could make curfew. Miss Fry would not be happy if she were late. After saying goodbye to her friend, Peggy cleared away the glasses before getting herself ready for bed. She checked in on Sarah before settling into the covers, sighing a little with contentment that she was finally in the comfort of her bed. Thank goodness for a day off tomorrow. It certainly had been a very long day.

* * *

_4 th July 1946_

A few weeks had gone by since the incident in the office. Peggy, Daniel nor Jack had spoken about it again and carried on as normal. Peggy still kept her head held high every time she was in the office, knowing that she deserved to be there, and one day she would be back out doing field work again. It was a glorious sunny day and Peggy found herself on a day off on one of the biggest days of the year, Independence Day. There were plenty of parades going on in the streets; many families having barbeques to celebrate and she anticipated that there would be many fireworks in the sky tonight. After waking up relatively early, Peggy had gotten herself and Sarah ready and took a nice stroll round the streets where she lived with Sarah in her pram. This particular day however held another meaning for Peggy. It was Steve’s birthday. She hadn’t slept very well the night before thinking about him and she’d had that same dream again. Later on in the afternoon, Peggy and Sarah would attend Isabella and George’s Fourth of July barbeque where the couple’s family, friends and the other tenants of the building were invited to celebrate on the grounds of the building. Isabella had insisted that they both come and expressed she would love to see them both there. Peggy had eventually agreed to attending and said she would see them later on in the afternoon.

Whilst out walking, Peggy found a small park just a few streets down from where she lived. She steered the pram in the direction of the park and found a nice little bench to sit down. Peggy parked the pram just at her side and watched the few kids she could see playing on the grass. A small noise coming from the pram snapped Peggy from her thoughts and she turned to glance down at her daughter who was gurgling happily to herself, holding the beloved stuffed bear. Peggy plucked Sarah from the pram and held her in her arms. In the distance, loud cheering and music playing could be heard. “Do you hear that Sarah? That’s everybody celebrating the Fourth of July, which is Independence Day. The street parades are a little too loud for us this time around, but maybe in a couple of years we can go and watch one. What do you say to that?” Peggy asked her daughter in a sweet gentle voice, taking Sarah’s little hand in her own. “Today is also a very special day because it’s your daddy’s birthday. He would have been twenty-nine today.” Before she knew it she was rambling on, trying to keep her daughter occupied and happy, knowing her voice was a comfort to Sarah.

Meanwhile, a rather flustered looking Daniel was walking down the sidewalk quickly; well a fast as you could walk with a prosthetic leg and a metal crutch. He was running a little late for his family gathering at his parents house. He was always rather bad at his time keeping. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a little park that was the perfect short cut. After pushing the small gate open he began walking down the path in a hurry. A familiar English accent caught his attention and he turned his head sharply and his eyes widened a little at what he saw. Peggy and Sarah. He stopped in his tracks and thought for a moment before making his way over to them. Upon hearing footsteps approach them, Peggy’s head lifted slowly and she was met with the sight of non other than Daniel Sousa. “Peggy…”

“Hello Daniel.” Peggy felt her mouth turning upwards into a grin.

“I didn’t realise you lived in this area.” He spoke, looking around the park quickly before returning his eyes to look at her.

“I live a few streets away. Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your family today?” Peggy asked before glancing down at Sarah quickly, who was once again chewing on her bear’s ear.

“I was actually on my way to my parent’s house. I’m err…running a little late.” He watched as Peggy’s mouth quirked upwards in a smirk and he felt his cheeks flush. “Don’t say anything. I know my timing is a little bad.”

“Little? That’s an understatement.” Peggy replied dryly as she looked up, giving in and cracking a wide smile, chuckling. This smile was one Daniel hadn’t seen from her before. It lit up her whole face, and quite frankly it was the most beautiful she had ever looked. She seemed so calm and content outside of work; and Daniel supposed it had something to do with the little girl in her arms. Peggy noticed that Daniel’s eyes had moved down to look at her daughter. “Oh sorry. How rude of me. Daniel, this is Sarah.” Peggy waved Sarah’s little hand that was in her own and made it look like Sarah was the one waving.

With a small chuckle Daniel found himself approaching the bench and sitting down, resting his crutch next to him, before waving back at Sarah. “Hello there, Sarah.” He spoke gently, gauging the baby’s reaction. Sarah’s crystal blue eyes scanned Daniel cautiously and her face remained neutral. He took that as a good sign and pointed to Sarah’s stuffed bear that was gripped in her free hand. “Is that your favourite bear? It looks like his poor ear has seen better days.” He took a chance and reached over to tickle her under the chin, to which Sarah giggled, feeling ticklish at Daniel’s touch. Daniel laughed gently before looking up to Peggy, who had been staring at him the whole time. He shifted a little awkwardly before asking. “How old is she now Peggy?”

“She’s almost six months old. Growing up too fast for my liking.” She brought Sarah’s little hand up to her mouth and kissed it gently, chuckling when she realized once again her red lipstick had transferred onto Sarah’s skin. “Oh I always forget about my lipstick doing that.” She wiped it off her hand before locking eyes with Daniel. “Would you like to hold her?” The words left her mouth before she even had time to think and she immediately felt embarrassed.

Daniel’s eyes widened a little at her question before nodding his head. “Of course.” He held his arms out and Peggy carefully passed Sarah into Daniel’s lap. Daniel protectively supported Sarah in his arms and felt his body relax after a few seconds. He was used to this with his nieces and nephews.

“Are all of your family going to be there at your parent’s house?” Peggy inquired with a small smile as she watched Daniel with Sarah.

“Oh yeah. Coming from a big Portugese family, a Sousa party is taken very, very seriously. My older sister Ines will be there with her husband and three children and my younger sister Maria will also be there with her husband and their two children. Plus some of our close family friends will be there too.” Peggy listened intently to Daniel as he reeled off all of his cousins, aunts, uncles and other family members who would be there, watching as his eyes lit up mentioning his rather large family. When he had finished listing off the family members, he blushed slightly. “Sorry. Look at me rambling on. What about you? Are you going to be celebrating?”

“Yes. My landlady Isabella and her husband George are having a big barbeque with their family and friends and we’ve been invited. Haven’t we darling?” Peggy asked her daughter and tapped her nose gently with her index finger. “She likes you, Daniel.”

Daniel’s cheeks burned and he was sure he was blushing even more than he was before. “Well I’ve certainly had a bit of practice with my nieces and nephews.” He shrugged a little, trying to pass off his natural instincts with children. After a few more minutes, Daniel cleared his throat. “I really should get going now. My mom will be worried where I am. She’ll have a search party out for me.” He passed Sarah back to Peggy and watched the little girl settle back into her mother’s arms. “I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow?” He questioned as he grabbed his crutch and stood up.

Peggy looked up to Daniel and nodded. “Of course, bright and early.” She smiled again before speaking. “I hope you have a good party Daniel. See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks. You too.” His eyes moved to Sarah. “And goodbye little miss Sarah. It was a pleasure to meet you.” He smiled at the little one in Peggy’s arms before catching gazes with Peggy once more. He turned and made his way out of the park and headed to his parent’s house, leaving Peggy and Sarah sitting on the bench.

“Bye Daniel…” She spoke quietly before turning her attention back to her daughter.

* * *

The day was certainly filled with lots of festivities and a lot of good food. Peggy felt partied out and later on that evening, after celebrating with Isabella, George and their family at their fantastic celebratory barbeque, Peggy found herself stood by the big window in the nursery with Sarah in her arms. Although it had been a very hot day and mostly likely would be a hot night, the windows were closed to try to dull the sounds of the fireworks that were going off in the sky. Peggy was holding Sarah in a way so that she could also see the colourful bursts of light in the sky. Bright reds, yellows, greens and purples swirled high in the sky and both Sarah and Peggy marveled at the view before them. After noticing that Sarah’s eyes and head were drooping sleepily, Peggy shifted Sarah in her arms so she was snuggled up to her chest. Peggy placed a gentle kiss to the top of her daughter’s head before looking back up.

“Happy birthday Steve.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I did a bit of research for this chapter on popular/interesting restaurants in New York in the 40s. I was very intrigued by Sardi's, the restaurant mentioned. It opened in 1927, and is located between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, in the theatre district of Manhattan. To attract their customers, they hired an artist to draw caricatures of celebrities who visited.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.

_11th September 1946_

The SSR office was filled with the sounds of scraping pens to paper, the rings from telephones and the occasional chatter between the agents. The day had gone by relatively quietly when suddenly as the clock struck two the familiar red light flashed brightly and the sound of the buzzer echoed in their ears. In a flash all of the agents in the room leapt from their desks and briskly walked towards the meeting room. Peggy's lips quirked up in a smile as she collected some files, called down to Rose to forward the calls on to the meeting room, grabbed a notebook and pen and took her chance. She strutted her way confidently towards the meeting room.

With a gentle click the door shut behind her and Peggy crept to the back of the group. She listened intently to the presentation Chief Dooley shared with them. He paced back and forth as he explained the new and recent sightings of HYDRA in the local area. Dooley motioned over to a big map of the streets of New York and pointed them out, a big red circle round each location. He told the SSR agents that many apartments had been broken into and these occurrences were definitely linked with HYDRA one way or another.

As she was listening, Peggy looked around the group of men before her eyes landed on Daniel. His brow was furrowed in concentration, the bottom end of his pen squashed between his teeth, chewing on it as he focused. Peggy admitted to herself that Daniel was an attractive man, with tanned skin, dark locks and rather enchanting eyes. She hadn't thought twice about his prosthetic leg. It didn't make him any less of a man or capable agent.

Ever since that day in the park on Independence Day a little over two months ago, Peggy and Daniel often exchanged glances and smiles between themselves. Daniel also found himself joining her on the lunch run more often than usual. He enjoyed her company very much. Daniel wasn't sure how he felt about Peggy if he was truly honest with himself, but he knew that whenever he looked at her, as corny as it sounded, his heart skipped a beat. She was like no other woman he had ever met and he admired her resilience and strength. Peggy Carter certainly was a lot stronger than he could ever be.

As the meeting drew to a close, the agents filed out of the room and went back to their respective desks. As Peggy sat down at her own she noticed Daniel was making his way over to her. She coughed slightly to clear her throat and made herself busy sorting the papers that littered her desk. The familiar sound of metal clinking on the floor reached her desk all of a sudden. "Agent Carter?" Peggy lifted her head and met his kind eyes with her own.

"Agent Sousa. Is everything alright?"

Daniel brought his hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed at it nervously. He could feel his throat starting to get very dry. Why oh why were his words failing him now? "I was wondering…I mean you don't have to say yes. But I just wanted to ask-"

"Daniel?" Peggy spoke suddenly, causing Daniel to stop, his eyes widening a little.

"Yeah?"

"Spit it out." Her lips turned upwards in a small smirk, her eyes glistening cheekily.

"Would you like to go out for dinner with me on Saturday night?" Peggy was caught off guard slightly and the expression on her face dropped. She certainly hadn't expected those words to spill from his lips. Before she even had a chance to answer him, Daniel shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he had made a massive mistake. "Never mind. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." He started to retreat back towards his desk and Peggy stood up from her seat abruptly; the sound of her chair scraping on the ground filling their ears.

"Daniel wait!" He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Peggy, feeling a tiny bit embarrassed for asking her out. "I'm sorry for making that face, I just didn't expect you to ask me out on a date, that's all. But I'd love to go out with you on Saturday."

The grin that spread across Daniel's face made Peggy blush slightly. "Great, I'll pick you up at six o'clock on Saturday?" He asked, watching as Peggy returned the smile he was giving her.

"It's a date."

* * *

_ 14th September 1946 _

"Ana are you sure this dress will be alright? It's not too…over the top is it?" Peggy asked a little exasperated as she smoothed the skirt of her dress with both of her hands. Daniel was due to arrive at six o'clock in around fifteen minutes time. Peggy had been hurriedly changing between different dresses trying to decide on the perfect one. There were numerous discarded dresses strewn on her bed and pairs of shoes littered the floor; she would clean it up later, she decided. She had tried every combination of dress and shoes, but she hoped this one would be the right one.

"Well why don't you turn around and let me see Miss Carter." Ana Jarvis' gentle voice spoke from behind her. Peggy took a breath to steady her before she turned around and a small gasp left Ana's lips. "It's perfect Miss Carter. You look beautiful. Daniel Sousa is one lucky man." She ushered for Peggy to move to stand in front of her mirror to see for herself. When Peggy caught sight of what she looked like in the mirror she grinned. The royal blue A-line dress fitted like a glove and hugged her curves. It was cut off just about her knees and it matched perfectly with her cream Chelsea shoes she wore. Peggy's hair was immaculately curled and styled and her makeup was simple, finished with her signature red lipstick. Ana had finished off the look for Peggy with some earrings, a necklace and a bracelet. Ana handed Peggy her purse and the two of them exchanged a smile before heading through to check on Mr. Jarvis who was tending to Sarah in the living room.

Edwin Jarvis was a little tentative to accept the job of babysitting for Miss Carter, mostly due to the fact that he had little to no experience with children. Ana of course accepted on behalf of the two of them, encouraging her husband that it would be in good practice for when they had their own clan, hopefully in the near future. He was stood in the middle of Peggy's living room with Sarah in his arms. He was stood very rigid and stiff and when the women came into the room, Peggy chuckled. "She's not a bomb Mr. Jarvis. You don't have to look so scared of her." Peggy came over and plucked Sarah out of his arms and twirled around with her daughter cuddled into her side. "Now Sarah, you be a good girl for Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis okay?" She pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and allowed Ana to scoop Sarah from her arms. Ana absolutely adored the little girl, and Peggy was very happy when the couple had agreed to look after her daughter with just a few days notice.

At six o'clock on the dot she heard a knock at the door and Peggy felt what she could only describe as butterflies in her stomach. Upon opening the door, she was met with Daniel Sousa, smartly dressed in a suit, his hair slicked back and his signature smile plastered on his face. When Daniel's eyes met Peggy, his jaw dropped as he drank in what he saw. She was a vision in blue; her brunette curls bouncing down by her shoulders. "You'll catch flies." Peggy teased and he quickly snapped his jaw shut. "At least you're not late. You're time keeping is getting better." She winked and Daniel felt his good knee go weak a little, so he put more pressure on his crutch.

"Peggy you look…wow." He stuttered through his words. "You ready to go?" He asked quietly, hoping his cheeks weren't flushing too much. With a small nod Peggy excused herself to say goodbye to Edwin, Ana and Sarah before grabbing her keys and putting them in her purse. She also fetched a thin shawl to wear in case it got cold later on. She had given Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis the spare set of keys so they could lock the door after she had left with Daniel. After shutting the door behind her, the two of them made their way down the stairs and out the main door of the apartments. "Your landlady let me in, she must have seen me pacing nervously outside."

"Isabella does love people watching from her window." Peggy laughed a little hearing Daniel speak about her landlady. As they started to walk, Peggy linked her arm with Daniel's. They enjoyed their stroll to the restaurant Daniel had reserved a table at. He had been secretive about where he was taking her, and although Peggy didn't normally like surprises, she had a feeling she would like this one. Throughout the duration of their walk, they did a bit of small talk, chatting about work, getting a little insight on how they were progressing with the HYDRA case, all the while Daniel couldn't stop glancing at Peggy. He couldn't believe his luck. Unbeknown to him, Peggy was aware of him staring at her and she felt her cheeks flush a little. When they finally reached their destination, Daniel stopped and pointed to the place where they would be dining. 'Sardi's' was an expensive restaurant that was always very busy; it would have been hard for him to get a reservation on such short notice.

"Daniel, this is Sardi's. How on earth did you manage to get a reservation here on such short notice? It's always busy." Peggy asked turning her head to look at him.

"I may or may not have asked Howard Stark for a favour." He replied with a smug grin on his face. He'd actually asked Stark about a week ago to make the reservation, hoping that she'd say yes. He'd meant to ask her a few days prior to when he did but his nerves kept getting the better of him. He'd never tell her that though.

"Remind me to have a word with Howard when I next see him." Peggy couldn't believe they were eating here. She had heard the food was of fantastic quality and there was nothing but good reviews about the place. The two were led to their seat and as they were studying their menus, they ordered a bottle of red wine for them to share. They engaged in small talk and when their waiter returned with their wine, he took their food orders. "Daniel, this place is wonderful. It's so interesting looking at all of the caricatures of the celebrities." Her eyes scoured the walls and took in each drawing. When their food arrived shortly after, they tucked in and engaged once more in chatter. The conversation seemed to be flowing really well. She liked seeing this more relaxed side of Daniel outside of work.

"How is Sarah doing Peggy?" He asked after he swallowed a bit of his steak.

"Sarah is great Daniel. She's crawling around and getting into everything. I'm sure she will be walking in no time. She's very determined."

"She is very much like her mom then." Daniel quipped with a smile. The way Peggy spoke about Sarah was very infectious. "And I mean that in a good way by the way."

Peggy chuckled a little. "I should hope so. And it's mummy, not mom." Her eyes glistened as she put on a twangy American accent for the word 'mom', her smile lighting up her entire face.

Daniel snickered at her a little. "I can't imagine what the world will be like with a miniature you running about the place. The world better watch out." Daniel smirked. He had only met Sarah that one time in the park on Independence Day, but hoped he would get to know her better as well as her mother.

"You're quite right about that. We are quite a pair." Peggy took another bite of her pasta before turning her attention to Daniel once again. "So come on Sousa, enough about me. Tell me a bit more about yourself." Daniel started talking about his family and before they knew it they were both exchanging stories of their childhoods. Daniel's of growing up in a Portuguese family with two sisters who were still very close to him this day, and Peggy's of growing up in England with her older brother and how the two of them would always play fight in the garden, pretending to fight monsters and giants. They continued their conversations getting to know each other right up until Daniel paid the bill. They even managed to squeeze in a dessert shared between them, even though they had both eaten more than enough. As they were leaving the restaurant, Peggy thanked Daniel for a lovely night and he graciously offered to walk her home, to which she accepted. When they reached her apartment building, Peggy stopped them in their tracks just at the bottom of the steps. She turned to Daniel and smiled coyly. "Thank you again for a wonderful night Daniel. I really enjoyed myself."

"Me too Peggy. I'll see you tomorrow at work?" He questioned, his eyes locking with hers.

Peggy took a tiny step closer to Daniel and leant forward, pressing a soft kiss onto his cheek. She lingered there for a moment before pulling back. "See you tomorrow, Daniel." She made her way up the steps to her front door, fished her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door. She took one more look back at Daniel, smiled shyly, before retreating inside.

Upon entering her flat she was met with Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis sat on the sofa, waiting for her return. When she came into view, Ana practically leapt up off her seat and rushed to Peggy's side. "How did it go Miss Carter?" She asked excitedly, her voice still hushed, as Sarah was asleep.

"I had a lovely night." Peggy confessed, her cheeks going a little pink.

Peggy said goodnight to the Jarvis' a short while after and thanked them once again for looking after Sarah. After seeing them off, Peggy padded down the hall to her bedroom to get ready for bed. She was met with the sea of dresses piled up on her bed and she chuckled to herself. Peggy picked up the pile of clothes and sorted them back onto their rightful hangers, clearing up her mess. All of a sudden out of nowhere she heard an almighty sound of glass smashing coming from down the hall. Peggy's eyes widened and she felt her stomach lurch when she heard Sarah's loud cries coming from the nursery.

Peggy grabbed her gun that was kept in her nightstand and sprinted down the hall. She burst through the nursery door, only to be met with the scene of a tall figure hunched over the crib looking at Sarah, who was lying on her back, crying loudly and flailing her arms about. There was glass from the window shattered all over the floor and Peggy noted the rope that was hanging over the window ledge. Peggy instinctively launched herself forward to attack the woman but suddenly from behind her, a bulky arm wrapped around the front of her neck, pulling her back into a headlock. Peggy struggled and strained trying to get out of the man's grasp, looking up to Sarah who was going red in the face from crying. "Please. Leave my daughter out of this. She's just a baby." Peggy pleaded, desperation evident in her voice.

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow that to happen. You see, ever since we found out the famous Captain America knocked up his best girl, HYDRA simply couldn't allow her to grow up to be just as strong as her father was." It was a woman's voice; a twangy American accent rang in Peggy's ears. The darkness of the room blocked out any chance of her seeing what the woman looked like.

"She didn't ask for this. For goodness sake, you're scaring her. Can't you see that?" Peggy could feel the grasp of the man tighten around her neck.

"HYDRA will get its revenge Miss Carter."

Within seconds Peggy had hatched a plan to try and get herself and Sarah out of this mess. Peggy suddenly whipped her head backwards and head-butted the man. With a loud crack and grunt he let his arms drop, allowing Peggy to spin and give him a swift punch to the jaw. She then placed both of her hands behind his head, bringing her knee to his face forcefully and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Peggy quickly turned her attention back to the woman. She drew her gun and steadied it, getting a clear aim. The gunshot sounded and the bullet skimmed the woman's shoulder as she dodged the shot. The agent charged at Peggy to which another fine punch was delivered to the woman's face. The agent straightened up before returning the favour and punching Peggy across the jaw, teetering her off balance slightly. Regaining her stance, Peggy drew her hand back and pushed it forward into another punch, but the agent caught her arm and gripped tightly. This only angered Peggy more and she struck the agent in a head butt before kicking her hard in the stomach. This sent the woman and Peggy hurtling backwards from the sheer force of the kick. Peggy crashed into Sarah's changing table, and the agent smacked her head so hard on the wall it caused her to black out instantly.

Scrambling to her feet, Peggy stared at the two unconscious figures lying on her daughter's bedroom floor. Sarah. Peggy's eyes snapped up before she hurriedly stepped over the bodies to get to her crib. She lifted Sarah out and snuggled her in a tight embrace. "It's okay poppet. Mummy's got you." She stroked and kissed her daughter's head continuously, not only to comfort Sarah, but also to comfort herself. "I am so sorry Sarah." Her voice cracked and she bit her lip as tears spilled from her eyes. Peggy got out of the nursery as quickly as her legs could carry her. It took a while but with constant talking and rocking, Sarah's cries subsided.

Peggy padded over to the telephone; her hand fumbled in despair to dial the first number she could think of. She held the phone to her ear, tears starting to stream down her face once again. The man on the other end of the phone eventually answered.

"Howard Stark."

"Howard." Peggy's voice sounded so frail, it took Howard a few seconds to recognize whom it was.

"Peg? What's wrong?"

"HYDRA tried to kidnap Sarah. Please Howard, I need you here." She started sobbing quietly down the phone and Howard started scrambling around.

"I'll be right over. Hang in there, Peg."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with chapter five! Thank you so much for the kudos on my story!
> 
> Anyway, here's the next chapter...enjoy!

Pacing back and forth in her living room, Peggy felt as if she was wearing a hole in the floor. Little Sarah was balanced protectively on her hip as she paced, chewing her stuffed bears ear. It had been a mere half hour since Peggy returned from her date, finding two HYDRA agents trying to kidnap Sarah. Peggy felt physically sick, her head was pounding and her heart ached at the thought of her daughter ever being harmed. Her jaw had a lovely red hue forming on it, and she'd hurt her back when she crashed into Sarah's changing table.

In record time, Howard arrived at Peggy's apartment, parking up on the street outside. Upon seeing him arrive; Peggy raced downstairs and opened the door quietly. It was late, and Peggy was trying her best not to attract any attention from her neighbours. The pair climbed the stairs in silence and as soon as he was through the door of her apartment, he enveloped Peggy in a hug and held her close, mindful to not squash Sarah. New salty tears cascaded down her cheeks, wetting Howard's jacket material.

"We're gonna catch them Peg, I promise." He whispered in her ear before pulling back. He strode over to her telephone and informed the SSR agents on nightshift of the situation. Peggy was in no fit state to do so right now. After placing the phone down, he stormed through to the nursery to tend to the agents who were still lying unconscious on the floor. He was a man on a mission searching the room for anything unusual that may have been dropped, tying up both HYDRA agents in the process. Whilst Howard was busy in the nursery, Peggy found herself perched on the sofa, with a dozing Sarah snuggled in her arms.

Upon hearing Howard's footsteps behind her she craned her head to see him holding up a small pin badge. The familiar red and black HYDRA skull symbol stared her in the face.

"So I've taken care of our friends in there. I've also got ID badges belonging to them." Howard then produced a sheet of paper. "There's also some sort of code written down here. I'm sure you can crack this in no time, Peg." Peggy listened before turning her attention back to her daughter. She'd do absolutely anything to keep her safe from harm. "Peg, you and Sarah are both gonna stay with me at my place with Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis. You'll be safe there."

"Thank you Howard. I need to make a quick phone call before we go anywhere. Can you watch Sarah please?" Peggy asked standing up, careful not to wake Sarah as she placed her in Howard's arms. She padded down the hall to her telephone and dialed Daniel's number. Eventually, Peggy heard Daniel's voice on the other end of the line. She started to speak but could only manage a strangled sob. "Daniel."

"Peggy? What's wrong?" Daniel's voice was filled with alarm.

"HYDRA tried to kidnap Sarah. I managed to stop them but they've been after her all this time. We're going to stay at Stark's place. Can you meet me there?" Peggy recited Howard's address to Daniel. As soon as the words left her mouth, he said goodbye and hung up. Peggy deposited the phone back down, gathered a bag of things for herself and Sarah, before heading out to Howard's car. She slipped a rushed note to Isabella under her door on the way out. The note explained that she unexpectedly had a few days off of work and wouldn't need a babysitter until she was due back. She would tend to the broken window when she returned.

The car journey to Stark's house seemed to pass by in slow motion. Howard, along with Peggy's help had deposited the unconscious agents in the trunk of his car before they started their drive. They had planned to only be at Howard's for a short while before they headed to the SSR. Peggy was sat in the backseat with Sarah snuggled against her, a blanket over them to keep them warm. She focused her vision on her daughter the whole time, smiling sadly and stroking Sarah's head tenderly.

When the car eventually ground to a halt outside Howard's place, Peggy got out with Sarah in her arms and shut the door using her elbow. Howard swiftly grabbed Peggy's things from the back seat before leading her inside. Howard had informed Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis about the situation before leaving. The couple had only just returned home when Howard received the call, so the two were anxiously waiting for Peggy and Sarah to arrive.

"Oh Miss Carter. I'm so glad you are both alright." Ana's sympathetic tone filled the room; her red and puffy eyes were a sure sign that she had been crying too.

"Ana and I have set up a room for both you and Sarah, Miss Carter. You should go and make yourselves comfortable." Mr. Jarvis added into the conversation, not wanting to crowd Peggy after what she had just endured.

"Thank you." Peggy replied quietly, before making her way upstairs to the bedroom they had so kindly sorted for her. Howard followed behind Peggy and placed her bag down just inside the door before retreating back downstairs. Peggy's eyes explored the room; there was a large double bed in the middle of the room and a crib was set up next to it. She treaded over to the crib, placed a soft kiss to Sarah's head before placing her down. Peggy covered her in a blanket and made sure her favourite stuffed bear was by her side. Turning around, she noticed an armchair in the corner of the room. Pulling a slip of paper out of her pocket, she stared at the code written in black ink. Howard had handed it to her earlier on, and Peggy decided that whilst they waited for Daniel, she should at least try to get started on figuring out the code.

As quick as a flash, Daniel arrived, knocking on the door impatiently. He had to make sure that Peggy and Sarah were okay. Howard opened the door and he almost leapt through the threshold of his house. "Where is she?" Daniel asked, slightly out of breath and beads of sweat were forming on his brow. He had obviously rushed to get there and a slight look of pain was etched across his face. His prosthetic leg must have been giving him gyp.

"She's in her room settling Sarah for the night. The room is upstairs, first door on the right. I've informed the SSR and got the guys on nightshift to call everyone in to help on the case. We need to get going soon." Howard explained before Daniel excusing himself to go upstairs.

As he approached the wooden door, he took a deep breath before knocking lightly. After waiting a few moments, upon getting no response he knocked again before creaking open the door. His eyes were captured with the sight of Peggy sitting down in the corner of the room, her feet tucked up under her. She was scribbling away on her notepad ferociously. Daniel suddenly felt a wave of sadness hit him right in the gut. His head veered to the left and he noticed Sarah fast asleep in the crib, cuddling her stuffed bear. Knowing and feeling relieved that they were both safe, he turned his attention back to the woman sitting in the armchair.

"Peggy." He spoke softly as he moved towards her. The sound of feet shuffling and metal clinking captured her senses, but Peggy never acknowledged that anyone was there. It was like she was in some sort of trance. With everything going on in her head she was struggling to concentrate on figuring out what the code meant. "Peggy. We need to go to the office." Daniel took a few more tentative steps forward. When she failed to respond, he tried once again. "Peggy. Please just listen-" He spoke a little louder, leaning down to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch and unexpectedly cut him off.

"I have to work out this code Daniel! If I don't we will never find HYDRA. I can't put Sarah through that again." Peggy felt her voice wobble as she finished her rant.

"Peggy."

Daniel suddenly stretched over and plucked the pen and notebook from her grasp. Peggy tried to argue but he shushed her, placing the pad and pen to the side. Daniel could see her tired eyes welling up and her bottom lip becoming trapped between her teeth to stifle the tears. "I have to do this Daniel. I have to stop them." She whimpered quietly, averting her gaze from him.

"Peggy, look at me." Peggy slowly lifted her teary eyes to meet his and was unable to stop the sob that escaped her lips. Daniel reached for both her hands and when she took them, he hauled her to her feet. He embraced Peggy with his strong arms and she buried her face into his chest, crying quietly. "Peggy, you have to let us help you. Please." He pleaded with her as one of his hands stroked her back in soothing circles. Moments passed and after steadying her breathing, Peggy lifted her head and looked into Daniel's dark orbs. Daniel lifted his hand and gently stroked it against her cheek, before tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. He frowned when he spotted the red hue building on her jaw line. "What happened?"

"I took a few blows whilst knocking out the two agents. It's nothing." Peggy shrugged a little, moving her face away.

"Let me have a look at that." He spoke in a hushed voice, aware of Sarah being in the room.

"Honestly Daniel. It's just a bruise." Peggy retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Please?" There was genuine worry in his voice and after a moment, Peggy huffed before tilting her head to the side so Daniel could get a better look. A nice red patch had formed where the agent had struck her. It would start to change colour and bruise properly in a day or two. "I'm so glad you're both okay." Daniel's voice was thick with emotion.

"Watch out, people might start thinking you care." If she was trying to sass him, it didn't work. Daniel let his hand slowly drop to his side and Peggy straightened her head to look at him.

"And what if I do care?" He asked, gazing into her eyes. "Would it be such a bad thing if I did?" He watched as Peggy studied his face intently.

This caring, thoughtful man in front of her was the only one who stuck up for her, never judged her and treated her like an equal. She had to admit, that there were feelings there, ones she couldn't explain. Of course she loved Steve, and a part of her always would, but he was gone. She had to move on. The pair stood there staring, wondering what to do or say next. Peggy watched as Daniel's eyes switched between looking at her mouth and looking at her eyes. Peggy's stomach fluttered a little. Just as the two of them started closing the gap, a gentle knock at the door broke them apart.

"Hey lovebirds, we need to get moving." Howard's voice caused Peggy to groan; he had ruined a perfectly good moment.

Daniel stepped back awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. This was a habit she noticed whenever he was nervous or feeling awkward. "Howard's right. We need to go to the office. We can talk about this later, okay?" Peggy nodded at his words, before approaching the crib. She leant over and stroked Sarah's hair and whispered a goodbye before grabbing a change of clothes; she couldn't exactly go into work dressed as she was. She didn't want to leave Sarah, but she couldn't risk putting her in yet another dangerous setting. She needed to do this, to prove herself.

Upon entering the living room, Ana promised that both her and Mr. Jarvis would not take their eyes off of Sarah whilst Peggy was away at the office. Peggy, Howard and Daniel collected what they needed before making their way downstairs to Howard's car. They were soon driving at an alarming speed to the SSR office. Time was of the essence.

* * *

Peggy and Daniel hurtled into the SSR building. Howard stayed put at his car until some of the agents came to help him take the two bodies upstairs to the interrogation room. Peggy and Daniel burst through the elevator doors and headed for the meeting room. Every single second counted and they didn't want to waste any time. True to his words, every agent who worked for the SSR was there, thanks to Howard's earlier call. Chief Dooley greeted them as they appeared. "Chief Dooley thanks for rallying everyone together." Dooley nodded in acknowledgement of the thanks.

"Right what have we got?" Chief Dooley asked, waiting for one of them to speak. Daniel nodded his head, allowing Peggy to take the lead.

"Approximately one hour ago, two HYDRA agents, one male and one female, broke into my apartment and attempted to kidnap my daughter. I managed to knock them both unconscious and they are currently in the trunk of Howard Stark's car outside. If we can get anything out of them it would greatly help us." Peggy started to explain. Chief Dooley ordered two agents stood at the back of the room to immediately go outside to help Howard bring them up for questioning when they woke from unconsciousness.

"You knocked them out Carter?" Agent Thompson piped up, Peggy rolling her eyes at his typical sexist response.

"Yes. Oh, does that shock you Agent Thompson? I am an Agent after all, even if you lot do treat me like a secretary." Jack's jaw dropped open a little at her response, and Peggy carried on. "Recovered from the scene were a HYDRA pin badge, ID badges and a note with a code written on it that needs to be solved."

"Wait. Hang on a minute." The voice of Krzeminski caused them all to avert their gazes to him. "Why would HYDRA want to kidnap Peggy's daughter?"

Peggy's breath hitched and her eye's widened slightly at the question. Bloody Nora, she certainly wasn't expecting that question to be asked. Peggy wasn't about to share her biggest secret with these men. She already got enough stick and she didn't want to add fuel to the fire. Suddenly, a protective hand rested on the small of her back; Daniel. Peggy swallowed hard, thinking of some sort of response, but Daniel beat her to it.

"Isn't it obvious? They're trying to get to the SSR. They must have thought the best tactic would be to attack one of us, luring us to them so to speak." Thank god for Daniel being there. "We all need to work together on this to figure out where they are and bring HYDRA's base down."

Chief Dooley stepped in then. "Right, Agent Krzeminski, when the HYDRA agents regain consciousness, I want you and Agent Yauch to question them. Don't go easy on them. Carter and Sousa, you are going to crack this code. The rest of you, dig up any relevant information and evidence you can find that will help us." The agents filed out of the room quickly, leaving Peggy and Daniel on their own. Peggy gathered the map into her arms before depositing it on the table in front of them. The red circles around the HYDRA sightings stared them in the face.

"Thank you, Daniel." Peggy spoke quietly, causing Daniel to furrow his brow.

"For what?" He asked a little perplexed.

"For what you did just then. I was caught a little off guard."

Daniel's hand returned to its place on the small of Peggy's back, hoping it was okay to do so. He locked eyes with hers. "I could see you were uncomfortable. I had to do something." Peggy smiled shyly before surveying the map and code once more. Daniel thought for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "Peggy, you said to me on the phone that HYDRA have been after Sarah all along. May I ask why?" He felt the muscles in Peggy's back tense a little. _Why did you ask that question you idiot?_

"I think you already know the answer to that question Daniel." Peggy replied quietly, craning her head slightly to look at Daniel. "I know you're not stupid."

Daniel had always had an idea of who Sarah's father was, but he didn't want to bring up the topic of conversation. It really had nothing to do with him after all. Even so, it didn't make an ounce of difference to him who her father was, what mattered was that he cared a lot about Peggy and Sarah. "Steve Rogers?" Daniel questioned and watched as Peggy nodded her head.

"I wasn't about to tell my biggest secret to these buffoons. I'd never hear the end of it." She sighed a little, not wanting to look Daniel in the eye.

"This doesn't change how I feel about you, Peg. Please know that."

Peggy's eyes drifted up to meet his. "I know." She whispered, smiling greatfully. "Let's work out this code shall we?" She asked before the pair got to work.

It felt like it had been an age, both Daniel and Peggy wracking their brains for ideas of what the code meant. "They're co-ordinates." Peggy suddenly spoke, causing Daniel to screw up his face a little.

"What?"

"They're co-ordinates. Here let me show you." She grabbed a red pen and double-checked the note before lining the digits up with the map and circled a spot on that coincided with the code. "There."

Daniel studied the spot on the map then looked up at Peggy. "You're a genius Peg."

Her lips quirked up a little. "I know." Daniel chuckled a little at her response. "Come on, we have to go there right now." Peggy started for the door but suddenly felt Daniel take her hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"No, Peggy. It's too dangerous. Let some of the other agents go instead."

"And squash all of the hard work I've done to finally be taken seriously? I'm going Daniel. No buts." Daniel considered her words before sighing heavily. He nodded his head in defeat, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. Peggy gave Daniel's hand a small squeeze before letting go and rushing out of the meeting room.

"We know where HYDRA are. The code was a set of co-ordinates. We have to get moving now!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter six! This took me a bit of time to write. I don't normally write action in my stories, so hopefully you like it?! Fingers crossed...enjoy!

Upon hearing Peggy's revelation as she crashed through the doors, her colleagues snapped their heads round and stared at her, stunned. "Well what are you all waiting for? Yauch, Krzeminski, interrogate those agents! Make yourselves useful!" The voice of Chief Dooley thundered through the office; and Peggy didn't think she had ever seen the men move so quickly before. Daniel had slowly made his way over to Peggy, a look of concern written all over his face. He didn't want her to get hurt. "Great work Sousa and Carter. We'll get both of you out in the field with Agent Thompson and Agent Watson whilst we get some more information from the HYDRA agents. We gotta find out if they are located anywhere else." Chief Dooley started to walk away but Daniel cleared his throat to catch his attention.

"Err…Chief. Agent Carter was actually the one who figured out the code. You shouldn't be thanking me." He spoke up, Peggy's cheeks flushing a little at his kind words.

The pair watched as the Chief swiftly turned to face them. "Impressive work, Agent Carter. Colonel Phillips was right to put so much faith in you." As he stalked away to join Yauch and Krzeminski, Peggy couldn't help the grin that was spreading across her face. Agent. She could get used to hearing that from the men in the office.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" Daniel asked quietly as he rotated his head to look at Peggy. She noted the worried tone in his voice and she met his gaze with warm eyes.

"Of course I will. This is me we're talking about." She quirked her lips up in a small reassuring smile. "Besides, I have to make it back so we can have our little conversation." She pivoted round and sauntered over to her desk, organizing what she needed to take with her. Daniel stood there, staring at her as she walked away, shaking his head and stifling a laugh. There really was no one in the world like Peggy Carter.

* * *

The car pulled up just far enough away so they couldn't be seen. They had arrived at a rather large, abandoned warehouse unit on the outskirts of Brooklyn. How original; an abandoned warehouse. With a deep breath to steady her, Peggy got out of the car and stared at the building. Along with her on the mission were Agent Sousa, Agent Watson and Agent Thompson. Howard was the one driving the car. He wanted to lend a hand and would help the agents make their getaway when the time was right.

"Right, let's get this over with shall we?" Peggy spoke in a determined tone, glancing at the men who all nodded in her direction. Agent Thompson gave her a you-do-know-I'm-the-one-in-charge-here look, which Peggy ignored. She loved to see him squirm. Agent Watson was fairly new to the SSR, but the young man was very keen and willing to learn. Peggy hoped that on this mission, she could prove to both him and Thompson that she was a very capable agent.

Quietly, but filled with determination, the group crept up to the building. Peggy noticed that there seemed to be no one around the perimeter of the vast structure. However, she concluded that the side door would be the best option. With a wave of her arm she caught Agent Thompson's attention and motioned over to the side entrance, to which he nodded in approval. Silently, she drew her gun out of her jacket pocket and clutched it with both hands. Upon approaching the big wooden frame, Jack reached out and turned the handle slowly. It clicked softly with each inch it turned and suddenly, Jack swung the door open. He poked his head through the space, rotating his head left and right before nodding, confirming they were in the clear to move.

The four agents advanced through the doors and in to the warehouse, which was strangely quiet. The four of them were facing each side as they walked, making sure they had cover from every angle. Thompson was in front, Peggy and Daniel on each side, and Agent Watson taking up the rear of the group.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, two HYDRA agents jumped out in front of them and fired a few shots from their guns. Like lightning, Peggy turned and fired her gun back at them. She took out the agents by penetrating them both in the chest with just two gunshots. The HYDRA agents collapsed to the floor, blood seeping onto their shirts as they bled out. The young men stood there staring at her, wide-eyed at witnessing what Peggy had just done.

"Nice shot Carter." Thompson spoke quietly, raking his hand through his hair to smooth it off his face.

"You almost sound surprised, Thompson." She retorted quickly, before turning to Daniel, who was smirking at her. He knew Peggy was the most capable agent in that office. With the stories he had heard, he wasn't at all surprised. He gave her a quick wink before she glanced back to where they were going. The group neared the end of a corridor and took a sharp right, double-checking before they advanced.

A sudden burst of sound caught their senses and before the group knew what was happening, several more HYDRA agents jumped into view, firing their weapons. Thompson dodged to the side as Agent Watson pulled the trigger on his gun. It was too late; a bullet had penetrated his right shoulder. With a loud grunt he fell to his knees; the poor young man had only been on a couple of field missions, but getting shot for the first time was something he certainly would never forget.

The three agents left standing fired their guns and between them managed to take the HYDRA agents out successfully. Once they knew no one else was coming, for a while at least, they turned back to look at Watson, who was groaning in pain. Jack glanced from Watson to Peggy, then to Daniel before making his next decision.

"Sousa, take Watson back to the car. Carter and I will go on."

"No. I'm staying here." Daniel refused instantly, glancing over to Peggy as he spoke.

"That's an order Sousa. Help get Watson back to the car." Before Daniel had a chance to argue with his request again, Peggy stepped in.

"Daniel, I'll be fine. Please." Peggy spoke gently, reassuring him. After a moment of thought he nodded his head before turning around and helping Watson to his feet the best he could. As the pair marched out of the building heading back to the car, Peggy and Jack carried on. Reaching the end of the next corridor, they froze when they heard a voice barking orders. Peggy teetered her head round the corner to see who it was, but it wasn't anyone she recognized. There was a rather tall man, with slightly more salt then pepper dark hair, standing in front of numerous crates of explosives.

"Who is it?"

Peggy pulled back and turned to face her colleague. "I'm not sure. Definitely the one in charge though." She pondered on her next words before speaking. "After Captain America took down the plane, their leader Schmidt went missing. He was nowhere to be found. They must have rebuilt themselves and hired more people to do their dirty work. Now we know this is their base, we need to blow up those explosives. That's the only way we can take them out, maybe not completely, but from this base anyway."

"Have you gone completely insane? Blow up the warehouse?" Agent Thompson scoffed a little, which only ticked Peggy off more.

"Well what do you suggest we do then?" When Jack struggled to come up with an alternative plan, Peggy rolled her eyes. "Just trust me on this. A couple of shots at those crates and it'll set off a chain reaction. This is the only way we are going to stop them."

"Alright, fine. But if this goes wrong I swear to God-"

"You'll what? You'll kill me? I think we'll both be dead if that happens." Peggy countered, before stepping out and creeping towards the figure that stood near the explosives. Jack followed behind her quickly. A few more HYDRA agents came hurtling towards them and as Peggy lifted up her gun, a gunshot was fired. The only thing was, it didn't come from her gun.

With a jolt backwards, Peggy felt as though she had been pelted in the stomach. She looked down and her eyes widened seeing the spot of red ooze through the fabric of her shirt. Just as her legs give way, she pulled the trigger on her gun and took out the agent who had shot her; Jack took out the rest of them immediately after this happened. Peggy's eyes darted back up to a smug looking man in charge.

"Agent Carter. What a pleasant surprise."

"I could say the same thing, but you lot are like a bad smell, you just won't go away." Peggy stuttered, the pain in her stomach area coursing through her. Thompson was now knelt by her side, trying to help her stand up again. She struggled to her feet, grabbing onto Jack for dear life, but eventually met the man's eyes that were full of evil and hatred.

"After rebuilding HYDRA once the war was over, we discovered the offspring of Captain America. We knew they would be too powerful and we couldn't allow them to grow up to be as strong as their father was. We had to track them down, take them in and use them to our advantage. It led us straight to you, Agent Carter."

Peggy could feel Jack's body tense up, but she daren't look at him. Well that was her secret well and truly blown. Knowing too well what type of person Agent Thompson was, this news would circulate the office in no time. "Holy shit." He had finally put two and two together.

"Shut it." Peggy retorted, before wincing in pain as more blood poured from the bullet wound, causing her legs to give way again. Jack used his upper body strength and hauled her back up. "Jack, you have to take him down."

"What?" He started to argue with her.

"Don't argue with me. Do as I say."

Jack captured his eyes with hers and for a single moment, he could see Peggy's determined eyes willing him on. "You get yourself outta here, I'll catch up." With a quick nod of her head, Peggy started to pull away, trying to get to the exit as quickly as possible.

Jack sure as hell hoped Peggy's plan would work. Peggy's words _"Just trust me on this"_ were swirling around in his head. Whilst Peggy was stumbling back to the exit, the man raised his gun and aimed it at Peggy. Jack's instincts kicked in and he pulled the trigger on his gun, puncturing a wound in the man's chest. He watched as the HYDRA agent collapsed to the ground in a heap. _Right, now to tackle blowing up the crate of explosives._

Immediately, Jack turned and made his way back as far as possible before facing the direction of the explosives. He took a steady breath as he lined his gun up with the farthest away crate. After pulling the trigger he watched the wooden box explode, setting off the chain reaction. Jack swiftly turned and bolted, heading down the corridor to the exit. Peggy had only just managed to stumble round one of the corners when Jack caught up with her. Peggy felt an arm wrap around her; Jack was pulling some of her weight so they could move out of the building faster. The sounds of the crates exploding echoed behind them as they neared the exit.

Meanwhile, Daniel was stood a short distance from the car, pacing as he waited for Jack and Peggy. He was losing his mind with worry. All of a sudden, a huge booming sound filled his ears as the explosion broke through the warehouse, sending the roof and walls flying outwards and upwards. Peggy and Jack had made it out of the exit before the force of the explosion sent them flying forwards. Both agents landed on the ground face down. Daniel's head snapped up and he felt his legs go weak. Oh god no. Please no.

"Peggy!" The loud yell from Daniel erupted from the pit of his stomach. His eyes gazed up as the smoke filled the air. They hadn't made it back yet. Just as he began to fear the worst, in the distance, he heard Jack's voice calling out for them. He was half running, half staggering with Peggy in his arms. Daniel felt his stomach drop as he saw Peggy lying there helpless. Her blouse was soaked with blood and she looked deathly pale. Scrambling into the back seat of the car, Thompson laid Peggy onto Daniel's lap, with her legs over Agent Watson who was also sat in the back. Daniel placed one hand on top of the wound, applying pressure, whilst the other gently stroked Peggy's hair. Jack shut the car door before hopping in the front seat next to Howard. Howard floored it and they were racing to the nearest hospital.

"Stay with me Peggy." Daniel kept a firm hand on her stomach to try stem the bleeding.

"Daniel." Peggy spoke, feeling her eyes grow heavier by the second. Through all of this, the mission, getting shot, the explosions, the only person she was thinking about was Sarah; her beloved daughter. What had she done? This was what Peggy had feared but she never actually believed that it would happen. She had to get through this, for Sarah's sake.

"Keep talking to me. We'll be at the hospital soon." Daniel could see the sweat on her brow and the fear in her eyes.

"No hospitals." Just as Daniel started to argue back, Howard drove over a dip in the road, causing Peggy to grunt in pain.

"Watch it Stark!" Daniel raised his voice and the man driving the car snapped back at him.

"Look, do you want me to get us there or not?"

"I'd rather us not die on our way there, Howard." Peggy countered with a light chuckle. The movement from her laughing caused her to groan in pain.

"Hey. Take it easy." Daniel smiled through his teary eyes, stroking her hair again.

"I don't think I know how to take it easy." With that, Daniel snickered, gazing at her with so much adoration in his dark brown eyes.

"We have to take you to hospital Peggy."

After nodding her head in defeat, she spoke quietly. "I need you to promise me something." Her statement caught him off guard a little.

"Anything."

"If I don't make it -" Peggy started but Daniel cut her off.

"But you will."

"Will you let me finish please?" Daniel bit his lip at her question and nodded.

"If I don't make it, please promise me Sarah will be well looked after." Peggy started to puff out uneven shallow breaths. It was getting more and more difficult for her to breathe now.

Daniel gulped back the lump that had formed in his throat before responding. "I promise. You know I would do anything for you." Peggy rustled up a small smile before lifting up her free hand, brushing it gently across his jawline. Daniel titled his head at her touch. "T…Thank you, Daniel." That was all Peggy managed before she felt her eyes drift shut.

* * *

When they arrived at the hospital, Agent Thompson plucked Peggy from the backseat and carried her inside. There was no way Daniel could have managed with his prosthetic leg. As Peggy was placed on the trolley, she was whisked away by the doctors into surgery. Agent Watson wondered in behind them, clutching his shoulder where he had sustained the bullet wound. He was soon taken away so they could tend to his arm. The nurses dragged Thompson away to be checked over as well, which left Howard and Daniel waiting for Peggy to come out of surgery. _Why was Peggy so stubborn? Why did she have to insist that she go on the mission?_ These were the thoughts swirling in his mind as he sat with his head in his hands, waiting.

As the minutes passed by, Daniel felt that he should phone a few people to update them on Peggy's situation. After informing Chief Dooley at the SSR, he rang the Jarvis'. When Edwin answered the phone, he hastily informed him about what had happened. Upon hearing Mr. Jarvis become emotional; he felt his stomach lurch. He knew how much Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis meant to Peggy, and her to them. He passed the phone to Ana and Daniel asked how Sarah was doing. Peggy had to make it through this. She had a daughter waiting for her.

The next phone call was to Angie Martinelli, Peggy's good friend from the diner; he would even go as far as saying best friend. He had gotten her phone number from Ana Jarvis and when she answered the phone, she wasn't best pleased, considering Daniel was calling at four in the morning. When Daniel explained what had happened, he felt his heart break a little at the sound of Angie chocking out a strangled sob. She insisted that she come to the hospital right away but Daniel advised against it. Of course, Daniel couldn't really divulge much information to Angie as it was classified, but he also was aware that Angie thought Peggy worked for 'The Phone Company'. He didn't want to blow her cover up story. Before hanging up he promised to phone her about any updates.

After a couple of painstakingly long hours, Peggy had returned from surgery. Daniel found himself by her bedside; his strong hand clutching her smaller manicured one. He couldn't stop staring at her, watching her breathe in and out evenly. The doctor had explained that the surgery went well and they had successfully extracted the bullet from the left side of her stomach. She was very lucky to have not been left with any complications. Her body had been through a lot and the doctor couldn't give an exact time frame for her arousing from her sleep. Daniel's eyes scanned the neutral expression on her face. Peggy's hair was disheveled, tousled with dust and dirt. She also had a few cuts on her face, and her makeup was mostly smudged off. She looked so peaceful lying there. If only she would wake up.

Daniel took a deep breath before giving Peggy's hand a little squeeze. "I'm sorry Peggy." He spoke quietly, his voice wobbling a little. "I knew it wasn't a good idea that you go on the mission. I know how much you wanted to prove yourself, but you don't need to prove anything to anyone. You're the best agent in that god damn office." He felt tears prickling his eyes. Daniel rarely got emotional, but someone he cared about was lying there helpless on the bed in front of him, and all he wanted to do was protect her.

"Sarah needs you Peggy. I need you." He watched her, silently willing her to wake up. "I need to get the chance to tell you how I feel about you." Daniel stretched up from his chair, putting more weight on his good leg and leaned down to her. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a moment before sitting back down.

Some time had passed by and Daniel's head was now resting on his free arm on the bed, having finally fallen asleep. It wasn't the most comfortable position to be in, but his body was deprived of sleep, so at this point would happily fall asleep anywhere. He also didn't want to break contact with Peggy; he felt like if he stopped touching her, she would disappear.

Peggy suddenly became aware of her surroundings; the light was blinding her eyes as they slowly flickered open. She felt a dull pain in her abdomen and when she glanced down, she saw the bandages. Ah yes. Getting shot in the stomach was not part of the plan. Her eyesight cast down to the dark haired figure slumped over the bed next to her in the chair. Daniel. His hair was ragged at the back, sticking up in every direction. She suddenly became aware of his vice like grip on her hand. Clearing her throat a little, she finally spoke.

"Daniel?"

Daniel jolted awake at her voice. His head crept up slowly, eyes widening at what he saw.

Peggy was awake.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnnnnnnnd we are back to the fluff. I hope it isn't too OOC. Enjoy!

“Daniel?” Peggy questioned him again, staring through her sleepy brown eyes. Suddenly, Daniel seemed to snap back to reality, and she felt him give her hand a gentle squeeze.

“H…Hi Peggy.” His voice was dripping with relief. Peggy was awake. Not quite out of the woods just yet, but awake and alive and here with him.

“Hi.” Peggy spoke quietly, squeezing his hand in return, confirming that she was okay and not going anywhere.

“How are you feeling?” Daniel quizzed her, knowing that she would try to say she was fine when she really wasn’t. However her reply was surprisingly a lot more truthful than he expected.

“Honestly? I’ve been better.”

“Please don’t ever scare me like that again.” Daniel spoke, a little lump forming in his throat as he finished talking.

Peggy’s lips curled into a small smile and her eyebrow quirked up hearing his worry for her. “I’ll try not to, but I can’t make any promises.” She replied honestly with a slight hint of humour in there too. With a small chuckle, Daniel’s eyes travelled down to his hand that was clasping hers and his thumb stroked her knuckles tenderly. “Is Sarah okay?”

Daniel’s eyes locked with hers once more at her question. He nodded his head with a loving smile. “Sarah’s good. Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis said she was sleeping peacefully when I called them a couple of hours ago. They haven’t been able to sleep ‘cause they’ve been worried about you.” He noted that her body relaxed a little more when he mentioned her daughter was safe. “I also called Angie. She’s coming by in a few hours. And before you start worrying, I didn’t tell her anything about the SSR or what we do. I figured if she were to find out, you’d rather it came from you than me.”

“Thank you.” Peggy replied, greatful for him being there and helping her. All of a sudden, another thought popped into her head. She closed her eyes, resting her head backwards, groaning. “Oh god. The window in Sarah’s room is broken. I need to get that fixed right away. The apartment is a bloody mess.” She shifted in the bed hastily, hissing at the pain she felt in her stomach.

“Relax, Peggy.” He spoke in a warning tone, not too harsh, but enough to get her to stop. “Howard is already taking care of it. He left not too long ago to go back to your apartment. Your landlady won’t even know anything happened.”

After hearing him speak, Peggy relaxed into the hospital bed and nodded her head. “I’m so sorry Daniel.” Peggy bit her bottom lip, pushing away the tears forming in her eyes.

“Oh, Peg.” Daniel whispered as he used his free hand to push himself up from the chair, thankful for a moment to stretch his legs; well, leg. His eyes never left hers as he hobbled to perch on the edge of her bed, his legs dangling off the side. “I thought I’d lost you.” His emotional words caused her eyes to water even more, a stray tear cascading down her cheek. Noticing this, Daniel lifted his hand and brushed his thumb gently across her face, swiping the tear away.

“I’m sorry. I must look like a riot.” She mumbled, thinking about what a sight Daniel must be seeing. She felt icky; dust and dirt caked her hair, and there was no way her makeup was still in tact.

Daniel snickered lightly hearing her worry about her appearance at a time like this. “You still look beautiful.” The words slipped out of his mouth and he mentally kicked himself. Daniel felt heat flush to his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He was pretty darn sure he was glowing a fantastic shade of pink.

“Daniel…” Peggy started speaking, unable to really find the words she wanted to say.

“Peggy. I know we said we would have this conversation later but…” Daniel stuttered a little, and Peggy interjected.

“I suppose it is later, right?” she shrugged her shoulders a little, watching him smirk at her words, before he began talking again.

“I care about you a lot Peg. You know that, right?” When she nodded her head, he carried on. “Ever since you strutted into my life that first morning in the office, you’ve been causing mayhem for me ever since.” As soon as the phrase ‘causing mayhem’ left his lips, Peggy protested.

“Mayhem? Excuse me-“

“See?” He watched as Peggy tried to think of a witty comeback, but failed miserably. “You’re headstrong, you’re stubborn, and heck, you’re so beautiful that I don’t even know why you would even look twice at me. You treat me like an equal and you don’t let this thing phase you.” He motioned towards his prosthetic leg. “Or let anything phase you really. You’re a great mom to Sarah, and I have no idea why you would ever doubt that. You’re one of the strongest women I have ever met, and you don’t stand for Thompson’s crap.” He chuckled again, all the while; tears were spilling out of Peggy’s eyes as she listened to him. It was like the dam had been broken and they wouldn’t stop falling.

“Oh Daniel, you soppy, wonderful man.” Peggy spoke through her tears and reached to wrap one of her hands behind his head, bringing him towards her. Their lips crashed together in a sweet, chaste kiss, catching Daniel a little off guard. He cupped one of his hands around her face as the kiss deepened ever so slightly. When the two eventually broke apart to catch their breath, Daniel rested his forehead against hers.

“I…err…take it you feel the same way?” He asked, pulling his head away to look her in the eye.

“I can’t lie to you, I’m scared Daniel. I’m so bloody scared because people around me always seem to get hurt. And I’m scared of the feelings I have for you. I haven’t felt like this since Steve.” Peggy’s breath was stuttering and it was clear she was out of her depth discussing these things. “What Steve and I had was lovely and he was so kind to me, but I know he wouldn’t want me to mope around and not find happiness. And I rather think I’ve found that happiness with you, Daniel. I just…”

“Just what?” He questioned, his brow furrowing a little.

“My reputation isn’t exactly pure. Doesn’t it bother you being with someone who has a child out of wedlock?” Peggy bit her bottom lip nervously, searching his eyes for some sort of answer. Daniel sighed sadly hearing her express her worries. He knew that Peggy had obviously been keeping all of this to herself for a while, and he was one of the few that knew about her situation.

“Peggy. I have only met Sarah once, but I am very much looking forward to building a relationship with not only you, but Sarah too. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb and leant in and pecked her lips once again, trying to stop her worries and calm her fears. Just as the kiss started to heat up, a voice caught them both off guard.

“Well it’s about time.” They had been that caught up in each other and the kiss that they had failed to hear the door open. Both Peggy and Daniel turned to see whom the voice belonged to. All Peggy could do was roll her eyes. Jack Thompson of all people. Daniel shifted back down onto the chair and he wiped at his mouth, worried if what was left of Peggy’s lipstick had transferred onto his face. “Glad to see you’re awake Agent Carter. I wanted to see how you were doing before I headed home. The nurse gave me the once over and everything is fine. Agent Watson is fine too. The bullet was taken out in no time.”

“Well, thank you for checking in on me.” Peggy spoke, raising her eyebrow up slightly, not quite convinced that was the real reason he was here.

Jack thought for a moment before speaking again. “I also wanted to say, what that HYDRA agent said, in the warehouse, it doesn’t go any further. I promise. I know I can be a bit of an ass sometimes, but I’m not completely heartless. What you did today was…crazy but, brilliant.” He flashed a small smile at her and Peggy couldn’t help but reciprocate the smile.

“I appreciate that Jack, thank you.”

“Well I best be off. I’ll update the Chief that you’re awake. Now, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do kids.” He winked before turning on his heels, leaving Daniel and Peggy alone again in the room.

“Of all people to catch us.” Peggy sighed as she rotated her head to spot Daniel blushing furiously. “Daniel?” Her sweet tone of voice caused Daniel’s head to elevate to meet her gaze. “I would like it very much if you kissed me again.” That smile from Peggy was all he needed to stimulate him into moving back onto the edge of the bed. He could get used to this.

* * *

_25 th September 1946_

It had been a week since Peggy had been discharged from the hospital. The SSR were giving her the time off until she was fully recovered and rested. Peggy found herself lying on the sofa with her feet up; Sarah snuggled up in the crook of her arm with her stuffed bear in her vice like grip. Peggy was reading aloud from one of Sarah’s many story books. Today was Winnie the Pooh. It had been read to her countless times before, but Sarah seemed to listen more intently with this particular tale, despite being just shy of nine months old. It might have something to do with Peggy changing her voice for each character that captured the little babes attention.

Peggy had spent a few days in hospital recovering from her operation with Daniel by her bedside attending to her every need. She couldn’t deny that she was very glad that he was there, but she was worried about him. At times she had to practically beg him to go home so he could wash, feed himself and rest so he didn’t run himself into the ground. During her time in the hospital, Peggy had plenty of visitors to keep her company whilst Daniel wasn’t there when he had to be in the office. The morning after she was brought in, Angie visited, immediately scolding her friend for scaring the living daylights out of her. Angie caught Peggy up on her latest audition successes and how life was still very dull working at the diner.

Howard came by to see his dear friend a few times. The first time, Howard confirmed that her window was no longer broken and her landlady didn’t suspect a thing. She wouldn’t admit it to him, but Howard had become something of a brotherly figure in her life, as inappropriate as he was sometimes. On one of his visits to the hospital, Peggy had expressed her concern of what the HYDRA agent had said to her in the warehouse. She was concerned there was a chance Steve’s super serum might have passed down to Sarah. Howard admitted that he wondered if this would be the case. He also briefly mentioned to Peggy that once she was out of hospital and settled back home, he would start testing to see if Sarah did in fact inherit her father’s super serum. Peggy hastily disputed this, saying that she didn’t want her daughter to go through extensive testing. Sarah was her little girl, and if she did show signs of the serum, they would take it one step at a time and help her understand her skills as Sarah grew up. Mr. Jarvis was another visitor who came to check up on Peggy. He reassured her countless times that Sarah was doing well, being looked after by Ana and it was no bother for them. Peggy yearned to have her daughter back in her arms, safe and sound.

Coming to the end of a chapter, Peggy paused for a moment and peered down at the little girl in her arms. On one hand she was sad that she was missing all of the action in the office, but on the other hand she was so happy that she could have more moments like this. A smile lit up her entire face as she thought about the reunion with Sarah when she returned from hospital. It had been very emotional for Peggy. She hadn’t spent that length of time apart from her little girl before, but she didn’t want Sarah to see her in the hospital. Despite being told by the doctors not to lift anything, Peggy ignored them and had scooped Sarah up into her arms and cuddled the girl close to her, peppering her face and head with kisses. She had missed Sarah terribly.

An unexpected knock at the door caused Peggy to jump out of her skin. Carefully closing the book and placing it to the side, she swung her legs off the sofa and stood up, holding Sarah to her hip; the opposite side of where the bullet wound was. She gently placed Sarah down in her wooden playpen before retrieving her gun from the cupboard in the hallway. Another loud knock at the door caused Peggy’s stomach to twist with nerves. She wasn’t expecting anyone round, and she was worried about who the visitor might be. As she reached her front door she unlocked it and hastily swung it open, lifting the gun up to the figure standing outside her apartment. Upon realizing who it was, she instantly dropped the weapon to her side. “Angie? What are you doing here?”

“Isabella and George let me in. Gosh Peg aren’t they swell? Wait…why do you have a gun?” Damn, nothing gets passed her.

“Err…” Peggy speedily tucked the gun behind her back and shrugged. “Just in case. You know…for protection.”

“Right…” Angie gently brushed passed Peggy and headed straight for her kitchen. “I brought you some of that pie you like from the diner. They were gonna get rid of it yesterday so I took it off them before they had the chance. It’s your favourite kind.” Angie jabbered on as she deposited the tray on the kitchen counter, took off her jacket and slung it over the back of one of the dining chairs before walking back through to the living room.

“Thanks Angie, but, aren’t you supposed to be working today?” Peggy had since locked the door and padded back through to meet her friend.

“It’s my day off, so I thought I’d come by and see how you two are holding up. Help you out a little.”

“Oh Angie, you really don’t have to do that.” Peggy started to protest but Angie hushed her, marching over to the playpen and plucking Sarah out and into her arms.

“Nonsense, any excuse for me to see my favourite little girl.” Angie placed a gentle kiss into Sarah’s blonde hair. “You been helping your mom out kiddo?” Angie asked the little girl, tickling gently on her stomach and watched as Sarah giggled loudly. Peggy stood there, watching her friend interact with her daughter, a grin plastered on her face. After a few moments, Angie’s voice snatched her from her thoughts. “Now you sit down and relax. We need you fighting fit as soon as possible so you can get back to work.” Fighting fit, how very apt. If only Angie knew.

Peggy padded over to the sofa and lowered herself down, still finding it a bit uncomfortable moving in certain ways. Angie sat down on the armchair and watched her friend with a sympathetic smile, wishing there was more she could do for her. “So…are you going to tell me about Daniel?” Angie asked out of the blue, her mouth twisting up in a smirk. Peggy could feel the heat rising to her cheeks upon hearing her question.

“What about him?” Peggy queried, unable to hide the smile that revealed itself on her face.

“You know what. When were you going to tell me about him? He sounded nice on the phone but when I bumped into him at the hospital, golly Peg, he sure is handsome. He’s got those dark mysterious eyes, curly hair, tanned skin. Is there something going on there?”

“Angie…” Peggy’s voice whined a little at her friend’s embarrassing intentions.

“So there is something going on?” Angie stood up from her spot on the chair and twirled with Sarah in her arms. “Mom’s got a crush kiddo! And it’s about time too!” Angie tickled the girl’s tummy again and watched as Peggy’s face grew a darker shade of pink.

“Angie, please.”

An hour had gone by and the two had spoken about Daniel, about a guy Angie had gone on a few dates with; just general chitchat really. Angie had made numerous cups of tea and coffee for the two of them and Peggy felt very relaxed in the company of her friend and daughter. With Sarah now back in her playpen, crawling around and chewing on her bear’s ear, Peggy couldn’t help but feel a little niggle in the back of her mind. She knew that she would have to tell Angie sooner or later about what she did as a job; that she did not in fact work for “The Phone Company.” To hell with it, spit it out Carter.

“Angie?” Peggy placed her teacup down to the side before meeting Angie’s gaze.

“English?” Angie countered with a smirk, but that quickly disappeared when she noticed her friend was about to tell her something a lot more serious than she thought.

“I don’t really know how to tell you this...” Peggy struggled to find her words, biting at her bottom lip nervously. “I…I don’t actually work for the phone company.” She closed her eyes briefly, waiting for Angie’s reaction. What Angie actually replied with caught Peggy really off guard.

“I know.”

“I beg your pardon?” As Peggy spoke her eyes snapped open, mouth hanging open a little.

“I know you don’t really work for the phone company.”

“H…How?” The shock was evident in her voice, and all Angie could do was laugh at her friend’s response.

“Well for one, you’re very secretive about your job, apart from telling me about the guys givin’ you a hard time you never talk about it. Two, you have your own gun for cryin’ out loud! Three, well, I just had a gut feeling that you weren’t the secretary type. I hoped one day I would find out if my suspicions were true or not.” It was a rare occurrence, but Peggy was absolutely astounded; lost for words even. How had Angie managed to suss her out so expertly? “So come on English, what do you really do?” Peggy took a deep breath, her hands shaking in her lap. Here goes nothing as they say.

“I’m a Federal Agent for the SSR, the Scientific Strategic Reserve. I was involved in the war and after it ended, I got offered a job here in New York, so I accepted.”

“An Agent? Peg, that is so badass! Gee, next thing you’ll be telling me that you knew Captain America or something.”

Peggy’s breath hitched and her eyes widened. She must have looked like a dear in headlights. _Bloody hell Angie._ This was not the way Peggy had expected the conversation to go. Should she tell her? She trusted Angie enough with her secret about her job; surely this would be okay to tell her too.

“English?”

“Yeah…about that…you might want to brace yourself.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is chapter 8! I hope you enjoy!

_28th October 1946_

"Darling, that poor bear will have no ear left soon." Peggy declared with a small chuckle, watching Sarah chomp on the fabric of her favourite stuffed bear. It was Peggy's day off, having been back to work for a couple of weeks now. In true Peggy Carter stubbornness, she hadn't stayed off work for long after the incident at the warehouse. That morning when Sarah had woken up, Peggy had gone through to the nursery and decided to bring Sarah through to her bedroom. Peggy now found herself snuggled up with all of the pillows and comforter surrounding her, with Sarah curled up protectively in her arms.

As much as the moment was lovely, little Sarah had other ideas and reached her arms out in front of her. When Peggy didn't put her down she let out an impatient noise that caught Peggy's attention. "Alright little miss." Peggy pressed a kiss to Sarah's soft hair, then another on her cheek, before gently placing her on the covers in a sitting position facing her. The little girl stared up at her mother intently, before smiling and babbling away to herself. "There's mummy's clever girl." Peggy reached forward and ran her index finger under Sarah's chin, which caused her to giggle. What an infectious sound that was. Peggy couldn't get enough of it.

Peggy felt incredibly lucky to still be here to have moments like this with Sarah. The incident at the warehouse had scared her, but not completely to stop her wanting to go out into the field again sometime soon. Her recovery from being shot in the stomach was very frustrating, but having people around her to help certainly made life a lot easier. Angie had brought round many a sweet treat from the diner. As much as Peggy was greatful, she had to draw the line somewhere, otherwise she would be putting on a heck of a lot of weight with the amount of pie she was consuming. Howard and the Jarvis' would pop round regularly to see how Peggy was faring, and Isabella and George would often come upstairs bringing plates of food for Peggy's dinner. Now of course, Peggy couldn't tell Isabella and George exactly what had happened, so she had made up some excuse of her falling over at work in the office, and surprisingly, they seemed to buy it. Then there was of course Daniel. When he wasn't on shift at the office, he visited Peggy to check up on how she was doing. They were dating now, although neither of them had actually confirmed it to anyone. The couple had gone out a few times in the last couple of weeks since Peggy was "well" enough to come back to work. Daniel worried about her constantly, and normally this would have annoyed her, but coming from Daniel, she thought it was rather endearing and sweet.

The noise of Sarah's babbling and shuffling in front of her broke her train of thought. Sarah was grabbing little fistfuls of the bed sheets and pulled on them. Peggy watched her daughter with a raised eyebrow, before gasping at the realization of what she was trying to achieve. Sarah was trying to pull herself up to a standing position. "That's it. Would you like some help poppet?" Peggy asked quietly as she extended her arms to take Sarah's little hands. Peggy's lips quirked up in a small smile when Sarah's fingers curled around her own with a vice like grip; the determination evident in her face. With some help from Peggy, Sarah hauled herself up into a standing position. Peggy couldn't help the big radiant smile that spread across her face. "You clever girl." Peggy suddenly scooped Sarah up into her arms and kissed her all around her face, laughter erupting from the little girl.

The day seemed to fly by and it was soon nearing five o'clock. Daniel was due over for dinner that evening, and in between tending to her daughter, Peggy was hard at work in the kitchen. Now, by no means was she a cook, but she wanted to at least try cook Daniel a meal. She settled for cooking a stew, a safe bet considering she had successfully managed to make this before. The pots were boiling over the stove and Peggy had set the dining table for her and Daniel, before pulling over Sarah's high chair next to the table. Although her romantic relationship with Daniel was still fresh and new, she enjoyed the interactions he shared with her daughter. The way he was with Sarah was so gentle and caring, it would make Peggy's stomach flutter at the sight. Not that she ever wanted Steve to be replaced, and she would always keep his memory alive, but having Daniel around might just be the best thing to happen to the both of them.

A sudden knock at the door captured her senses, and Peggy smiled a little to herself, knowing who it was. Abandoning the food on the stove for a moment she padded down the hallway to the front door. Upon opening it, Daniel was standing there, clutching a brown paper bag, his eyes lighting up a little more when he locked eyes with hers. "Well I never thought I'd see the famous Peggy Carter looking so domestic." Daniel teased with a goofy grin on his face.

"If you tell anyone about my domesticity, I won't be best pleased." Peggy bantered before stepping back slightly. "Come on in." As Daniel made his way inside, he stopped just in front of Peggy and caught her lips in a gentle kiss. Whilst they shared this tender moment, his hands fumbled around and he produced a lovely bunch of bright yellow flowers from the paper bag. When they broke the kiss, Peggy caught sight of the flowers and a smile broke out.

"They're beautiful. Thank you Daniel."

"Who says they're for you?" He smirked as he brought the flowers close to his chest. "I thought they looked good with my outfit." Peggy chuckled a little before bringing a hand up to cup his face gently, before pulling him in for another sweet kiss.

After what Peggy would call a rather successful meal, she got Sarah ready for bed and settled for the night. When Peggy returned to the kitchen, she stopped in the doorway and drank in Daniel's figure. He was stood at her kitchen sink doing the washing up, his crutch leaning against the counter next to him. With a smile creeping up on her face, Peggy leant a little into the archway, just watching.

Daniel, who had just picked up another plate to wash, must have sensed someone was watching. He craned his head round and noticed Peggy standing in the doorway. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Not long." Peggy spoke tenderly as she made her way over to Daniel. When she reached his side, she placed a gentle hand on his arm. "You didn't have to do the dishes Daniel."

"I wanted to." He shrugged a little before placing down the plate. With Peggy's help they finished drying and putting away the plates, pots and cutlery, before they found themselves curled up on the sofa, soft music playing in the background as they chatted. Both Peggy and Daniel were feeling very comfortable in each other's company. Peggy had started on the opposite end of the sofa, but as time went on she found herself curled up next to Daniel with his arm around her.

"Listen Peggy, I wanted to ask you something." As soon as the words escaped his mouth, he noticed Peggy's alarmed expression on her face. "Oh no. Not that question. No, what I wanted to ask was, my parents are having another famous Sousa family get together. Would you and Sarah like to join my family and me for Thanksgiving? I know it's not for a few more weeks but I just thought-"

"Yes."

"Yes?" He questioned, a little stunned at her answer.

"Well, we don't have any plans. And it would be lovely to give Sarah her first proper Thanksgiving surrounded by lots of people and presumably lots of good food." Her face had softened by now, a smile plastered on her face.

"Great. Everyone will be there, my sisters, their families, my cousins, everyone." He reached over and took one of her hands into his. "And my mom is a fantastic cook. You won't be disappointed." He lifted her hand and placed a gentle kiss there, before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his.

* * *

_28th November 1946_

The clicking sound of Peggy's heels approached the front door of the Sousa household, and she could feel her stomach twisting with nerves. She had faced some terrifying situations, but meeting Daniel's family at that moment felt like the scariest of them all. Not that Peggy cared about people's perception of her, but she wanted to make a good impression. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down to the little girl in the pram. "Well, here we go Sarah." Peggy reached over and knocked on the door and waited for someone to open it. She could hear the faint commotion behind the door; the jazz music playing, laughter and children running around captured her senses.

"Emelia! Andrew! You're going to trip someone up if you keep running around like that! Seja cuidadoso!" A woman's voice neared the front door, and Peggy's grip tightened on the handles of the pram. When the door swung open, she was met with an older woman, with greying hair and dark brown eyes; the same brown eyes as Daniel. It must have his mother.

"Hello Mrs. Sousa. I'm-" Peggy began to speak, and upon hearing her English accent, the woman erupted in a delightful cheer.

"Oh Peggy! It's wonderful to finally meet you…but please, call me Sylvia." She glanced down at Sarah, who was staring up in wonder at the woman in front of her. Sylvia crouched down a little and cooed at Sarah. "Oh, what a beautiful little girl. This must be Sarah. My Danny has told me so much about you both." When she regained her upright stance, Sylvia stood back. "Please come in, it's a lot warmer in here I promise."

Pushing the pram through the threshold, Peggy parked it up just inside the door before fishing a bottle of wine out of the bag she was carrying. "I'm not much of a cook I'm afraid, so I thought I would bring you some wine." As she held the bottle out, Sylvia chuckled slightly, accepting her kind gesture.

"Oh Peggy there was no need for this, but thank you. I've made enough food to feed everyone two times over it seems. Everyone is in the room down the hall. I will just go and check on the food in the kitchen." Sylvia motioned over to the door at the end of the hall before leaving Peggy and Sarah alone for a moment. Except, they weren't alone. As she plucked Sarah out of her pram and balanced her on her hip, she turned and jumped out of her skin. Two young children, no older than six years old were stood staring up at her. They must have been two of Daniel's nieces and nephews.

"Hello there." Peggy's mouth turned up in a small smile.

"What's your name?" The young boy asked confidently, brown orbs gawking at her. Peggy's gaze shifted between the two children. She noticed that the young girl was standing a little behind the boy; she was clearly the shyer of the two.

"I'm Peggy." She spoke kneeling down, protectively holding Sarah steady. "This is Sarah, my little girl. What are your names?"

"I'm Andrew." A proud grin was plastered on the young boys face and Peggy couldn't help but chuckle a little. She then turned her gaze to the young girl and smiled warmly.

"And what's your name darling?"

The little girl thought for a moment and stepped forward. "I'm Emelia." She spoke timidly.

"Well, I'm Daniel's friend. Do you know where he is?" As soon as Peggy mentioned Daniel's name, the children's faces lit up like the sun. "Uncle Danny? Yeah! Come on we can show you!" Andrew bounced up and down excitedly before running down the hall, Emelia following behind him quickly. "Uncle Danny! Uncle Danny! Peggy and Sarah are here!" The kids burst through the door and the volume of music and laughter amplified a little. Peggy stood back up fully before slowly creeping down the hall. Before she made it to the door, Daniel's figure came into view. He had his goofy grin spreading across his face, and was dressed in a crisp white shirt and suit trousers.

"Hi Peggy." He racked his hand through his pomaded hair, before stepping forward a little to greet her with a gentle kiss to the cheek before whispering, "You look beautiful." Daniel then looked down to Sarah who had snuggled her head into the crook of Peggy's neck. "And hello to you too little miss." He tickled her under the chin and snickered when Sarah giggled shyly.

As Daniel led the two Carter girls into the living room, members of the family immediately greeted them. "Danny, this can't be the girl you've been dating! She's so beautiful." Maria, Daniel's younger sister teased him as she came over to Peggy, kissing both of her cheeks in the process. "It's so lovely to meet you Peggy, Daniel has told us so much about you." She gasped when she noticed Sarah in Peggy's arms. "And little Sarah too! Please, can I hold her?" She asked politely and with a small nod of her head, Maria scooped Sarah into her arms. Peggy watched intently as Sarah settled contentedly. Daniel's sister Ines joined them, cooing at the little girl.

The feeling of a hand capturing her own caused Peggy to turn her head, and Daniel tugged at it, leading her over to the corner of the room. He brought her over to an older man, sat in the armchair. He was an older version of Daniel; it had to be his father. "Pai, I want you to meet Peggy. Peggy, this is my father, Frank." Frank stood up slowly from his seat, a smile spreading on his face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Sousa." Peggy held her hand out for them to shake hands. Instead, Frank took a hold of Peggy's hand and brought it up to kiss it gently.

"The pleasure is all mine, Peggy. It's great to finally meet the woman who has made my son so very happy."

"Pai." Daniel countered, feeling his cheeks flush at his father's embarrassing words.

Soon after being greeted to all of the family, Peggy felt surprisingly comfortable in the company of the Sousa clan, despite her earlier worries. Frank had asked her many questions about her hometown back in England and about her family; Peggy was very appreciative of his interest. Peggy also admired how close Daniel was to his sisters, like she had been with her own brother Michael, and laughed when his sister's teased him for finally finding himself a girl. She also had the chance to get to know Daniel's nieces and nephews, all five of them. Ines and her husband John's kids included Andrew, their eldest son, a confident and boisterous six year old, Emelia, their middle child and only daughter, a very timid five year old, and their youngest son, Joseph, at the tender age of two. Daniel's younger sister Maria and her husband Charlie had two girls, Natalie and Sophia, who were four and three. The children were absolutely enamored by Sarah, considering there hadn't been a baby in the family for some time. They took her under their wing and shared their toys as they played and were very careful with her, knowing she was so young.

After a marvelous spread of food cooked by Sylvia, Peggy was so full she felt like she could burst. There was plenty of music and plenty of laughter, and the day had been a triumphant success so far. She very much liked Daniel's family and she hoped they liked both her and her daughter.

Daniel found himself in the kitchen with his mother, topping up their drinks, whilst Peggy was through the house, dancing with little Emelia. The little girl had taken a liking to Peggy and had come out of her shell as the day went on.

"I like Peggy. I can tell she makes you happy."

Daniel grabbed the bottle of whisky and poured it into his glass, listening to his mother dote on his girlfriend. "She's the one mãe. I love her."

"And have you told her this?" His mother questioned with her hands on her hips.

"It's all still so fresh. It's too soon."

"Meu garoto! You told us about Peggy long before you two started dating. Don't leave it too late to tell her." Sylvia spoke exasperatedly.

"Since when did I start getting relationship advice from my mother?" Daniel chugged back a large gulp of whisky.

"Since you can't pluck up the courage to tell her how you feel, menino bobo. Don't leave it too long okay?"

"Okay. I won't." Daniel soon retreated back to the living room and the sight he saw made his heart flutter. Peggy was holding Sarah in one arm, her head snuggled into the crook of her mother's neck. The other hand was holding onto his niece Emelia; the two of them were dancing and swaying to the music, Peggy lifting her arm so Emelia could twirl and spin every so often. He spotted that Sarah's eyes were drifting shut, obviously tired from the day's activities. When Emelia caught sight of her favourite Uncle in the doorway, she grinned from ear to ear and left Peggy's side, running towards him. As Emelia wrapped her arms around Daniel's good leg, he chuckled and ruffled her hair ever so slightly. "Hey squirt, you havin' a good time?"

"Aha. I like Peggy, Uncle Danny. She's a good dancer too." Daniel's eyes drifted up from his niece to Peggy, who was stood with Sarah in her arms, a coy smile on her face.

"Oh is she now?" A smirk graced his lips, Peggy's cheeks flushing and she bit her lip a little.

"Don't tell anyone about this, Sousa." Peggy glanced down at Emelia and gave her a little wink, to which she giggled and hugged into her Uncle's leg even more.

It was getting late, and Peggy wanted to head home so she could settle Sarah to sleep for the night. Daniel, as chivalrous as ever, offered to walk them home, to make sure they were safe. After saying goodbye to the Sousa family, Daniel helped Peggy on with her jacket and helped strap Sarah into the pram before they started their walk back. It was handy that Peggy only lived a short walk away from his parent's house.

"Honestly Daniel, you didn't have to walk me home. I only live a few streets away from your parent's house." Peggy spoke, the two of them just finishing carrying the pram up the few steps that led to the front of her apartment building.

"Now what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I just let you walk home in the dark?"

"Oh." She turned to him, the orange light from the street lamp illuminating her features, a teasing smirk on her face. "My boyfriend?"

Daniel noted her teasing tone, and used his free arm to wrap it around the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. "Problem?" He asked softly, Peggy shaking her head in response. They shared a gentle, chaste kiss before they parted. "Goodnight, Peggy."

"Goodnight Daniel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Seja cuidadoso! = Be careful!
> 
> Pai = Dad
> 
> mãe = Mom
> 
> Meu garoto! = My boy!
> 
> Menino Bobo = silly boy


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 9! I'm so sorry for the delay in writing this and getting it posted. I have had a really busy and emotionally testing week due to this lockdown. Enjoy!

_21st December 1946_

"Yes Mum, Howard has more than enough bedrooms for us all to stay over while you and Dad are visiting." Peggy spoke a little exasperatedly. She had been on the phone to her mother for the past half an hour, clarifying when their plane would land and reassuring that Peggy herself would be there to pick them up from the airport.

Although Peggy had tried to object, Howard had very kindly offered to pay towards her mother and father's flights to spend Christmas with them in New York; he knew how much Peggy wanted her parents to spend Christmas with her. Due to the fact that Peggy's apartment was rather small, with only the master bedroom and nursery, Howard had insisted that he had plenty of room in his large house and he would host them all over Christmas.

It would also be the first time Sarah would get to meet her maternal grandparents. The thought of her parents meeting her daughter, friends and beau both excited and scared her. Peggy wasn't so much worried about her father, but more her mother. Amanda Carter was a headstrong woman, who wasn't scared to speak her mind; she supposed she had inherited her strong will from her. Amanda had longed for her daughter to lead the life she had always wanted for her; to get married, have children and be a lovely little housewife. However, their relationship had become strained when Peggy broke off her engagement with her ex-fiance Fred.

Fred was a lovely gentleman she had to admit, but deep down Peggy knew the life she would have with Fred was not the one she truly wanted to live. Her older brother Michael had expressed his concerns to her at their engagement party, but it only really dawned on Peggy when she received the news that Michael had been killed in action. Peggy hoped that spending time with her parents over the festive period would help patch up their differences and bring them a little closer together. She hadn't seen them since she left to work for the SSR a little over a year and a half ago.

"This Howard fellow, he is just a friend, yes?" Her mother queried, which caused a scoff to escape Peggy's lips. _Really Mum? What do you take me for?_

"I worked with Howard during the war Mum. He's a very good friend of mine. Plus, you know that Daniel will be there too. He's looking forward to meeting you and Dad."

"Hmm…I see."

An awkward silence hung over the women's conversation. Feeling a little bit uncomfortable, Peggy quickly veered the conversation to another topic. "So, how is Dad?"

"Oh, your father is doing very well dear. He is very much looking forward to seeing what life if like over the pond. And we are of course both excited to meet Sarah. How is my darling granddaughter anyway?"

"Sarah is doing really well Mum. She said her first word the other week and my heart could have burst open right there and then." Peggy spoke warmly, remembering how shocked she had been when Sarah babbled out 'Mama' for the first time. A lot of happy tears were shed that day.

"You must treasure the time you have with her Margaret, she'll be grown up before you know it."

Wincing at her full name, Peggy was about to reply, when a knock at the door caught her attention; it was Ana Jarvis. "Listen Mum, I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but I have to go. Ana is here with my dress for the work's Christmas Party tonight."

"A Party?"

"Well not a party as such. The Chief has organized a little get together for everyone at the office before the holidays."

"And who is going to be looking after Sarah?" Amanda questioned, her tone a little harsh.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis, two very good friends of mine." Peggy countered, rolling her eyes at her mother's typical response. She should expect nothing less from her mother, and then realized why she hardly ever called her, as harsh as that sounded.

"Hmm…well behave yourself Margaret." Amanda spoke firmly, causing Peggy to chuckle a little.

"Don't I always?" Peggy spoke in a confident, convincing tone, however upon receiving no response from her mother, she tried to get off the phone as quickly as possible. "I can't wait to see you and Dad in a couple of days. Remember, I'll be there at the airport to pick you both up." After exchanging a quick goodbye, Peggy set the phone down and padded down the hallway to the front door.

When the door was swung open, she was greeted with Ana Jarvis, holding up a suit bag. Upon hearing the news about the SSR Christmas Party, Ana had insisted that she make Peggy a custom dress for the occasion. She enjoyed dressmaking, it meant she could focus her mind on something and feel a little more useful. "Miss Carter! It's so lovely to see you." Ana's kind tone of voice filled the room as she stepped inside and embraced Peggy in a hug. Afterwards, Peggy shut the front door, taking Ana's coat, hanging it up on the coat stand by the door.

"Would you like a drink Ana?"

"Oh yes please. I would love a cup of tea. Thank you Miss Carter." Ana lay the suit bag carefully down on the sofa in the living room before following Peggy into the kitchen. "How is little Sarah doing?" Ana asked as she crossed the threshold of the kitchen.

"Very well thank you Ana. She's having a nap right now; she gets a bit grumpy later on in the day if she doesn't have one. She must get her love of sleep from me." Peggy chuckled a little as she grabbed the kettle, filling it with water from the tap. "Thank you again for offering to look after her overnight."

"Oh nonsense! We love looking after Sarah. You know we will help out whenever we can." Ana had made her way over to the dining table and sat down. As Peggy put the kettle on the stove to boil, she turned to Ana.

"I really appreciate your help."

Once the cups of tea were made, Peggy sat down at the table and enjoyed a nice catch up before the two ladies made their way into the bedroom so she could try on the dress. Peggy took the suit bag into the bathroom and when she unzipped it to reveal the garment, a small gasp left her lips. "Oh wow." She whispered as she lifted the dress out by the hanger. It was a gorgeous green velvet knee length dress with a sweetheart neckline. Peggy quickly slipped her clothes off and donned the green garment. The dress fit her perfectly and hugged her curves; green seemed to be another colour that suited her well.

"Is everything alright Miss Carter?" Ana's muffled voice could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Yes, just one second." She shouted back, taking a breath before emerging from the bathroom. Upon seeing her friend, Ana let out a little gasp. A grin spread across Peggy's face as she did a little twirl. "It's perfect. You are marvelous Ana."

"Every colour seems to suit you, Miss Carter."

"I don't know how you do it, Ana. Every dress you make fits perfectly. I love the colour. Very fitting for the festive season." Peggy ran her hands over the velvet, loving the soft feeling it left on her fingertips.

After sorting out shoes and accessories to complete the outfit, Peggy got changed into her former attire before hanging the dress up in her wardrobe. As Ana treaded through to the kitchen, Peggy swiftly packed an overnight bag for Sarah before checking on her in the nursery. To Peggy's surprise, Sarah was lying awake in her crib, babbling away to herself; she would normally scream very loudly to make people aware she was awake and needed attention.

"Hello my little darling." Peggy spoke softly as she approached the crib.

"Mama!" Sarah grinned happily at her mother, waving her arms up excitedly.

Peggy leant down and picked her daughter up into her arms and rested her on her hip. Smoothing her hand through Sarah's blonde locks she smiled tenderly. "Did you have a nice nap poppet?" Pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, she stalked through to the kitchen, where Ana was sat having a quick glance at the newspaper. Hearing someone approach her, Ana lifted her gaze.

"Ah! Little Miss Sarah! Hello!" Ana's face lit up seeing the little girl and placed the paper down on the table in front of her.

Hearing and recognizing her name, Sarah giggled shyly and rested her head into the crook of Peggy's neck. "Mama…" She mumbled quietly before bringing her stuffed bear to her mouth, chewing on its ear.

"Oh my, Miss Carter. Sarah is growing up so fast." Ana admired the mother and daughter with a big grin plastered on her face. "It's hard to believe it will be her first birthday soon."

"I know, Howard has spoken to me about hosting a birthday party for her but I'm not too sure." Peggy explained as she moved to sit down on the chair opposite Ana, perching Sarah on her lap.

"Oh Miss Carter, Howard thinks a lot of you and Sarah, and only wants to spoil her. I would maybe take him up on his offer."

"Hmm…he means well by it I suppose." She thought for a moment before speaking again. "Perhaps I'll have another conversation with him about it."

"I think he'd be very happy if you did, Miss Carter." Ana spoke before lifting her gaze to the clock on the wall. "Edwin should be here soon to collect us."

Soon after, Mr. Jarvis arrived to collect Ana and Sarah. Peggy said her goodbyes and saw them off in the car before returning to the comfort of her apartment. After calling for a cab to pick her up soon, Peggy quickly bathed, applied her makeup, styled her hair to perfection and got herself changed into the green dress. Her mind drifted to Daniel every so often, and she thought about how excited she was to see him. Due to work constraints, the couple had spent very little time together outside of work over the past couple of weeks. Slipping on her heels and putting on her jewelry, Peggy took one last look in the tall standing mirror before grabbing her coat, scarf and gloves. The sound of a car horn caught her attention; her ride was here to take her to the office.

* * *

Peggy's heels click clacked down the pavement as she approached the office building. She pulled her coat closer to her body, trying to protect herself a little more from the cold. It had been snowing recently, and the crisp white snow lightly covered the streets and buildings, adding to the Christmas festive feel. The snow wasn't too heavy, but the temperature had plummeted over the past month and Peggy was constantly feeling cold. As she pushed open the door the warmth waved over her and Peggy felt her body relax a little. Making her way over to the elevator, she waited for the doors to open before pressing the button that would take her to the office floor.

Setting foot into the office, Peggy's eyes were captured by the Christmas decorations; multi-coloured bubble lights were hanging along on the walls, a decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the office and also the sounds of Christmas songs from the radio were being played in the background. It seemed Peggy was one of the last people to arrive; pretty much every agent in the SSR was already there, but she couldn't spot Daniel anywhere. She glanced over to the side and noticed Agent Yauch and Agent Thomspon standing with drinks in their hands, conversing with Chief Dooley. The three men noticed Peggy entering the room and as she clicked her heels down towards them, a smug grin appeared on Jack's face as she neared.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes, Carter." Thompson spoke, taking a sip from his drink as he moved away from the Chief and Agent Yauch.

"Charming." Peggy tutted and rolled her eyes. "I suppose you scrub up well too."

Before Jack had a chance to say anything else, the familiar sound of metal hitting the wooden floor caused them both to turn around. Peggy's mouth quirked up into a small smile as Daniel was making his way towards them. He was dressed very smartly in a navy blue suit, a crisp white shirt and his hair was pomaded to perfection. He had that goofy grin on his face that made Peggy's heart race.

"Evening Sousa."

"Evening Agent Thompson." Daniel nodded his head, greeting Jack, before turning to Peggy. "Agent Carter." To this, Peggy flashed a small grin.

"Okay, well I'm going to leave you two love birds to talk." Jack turned to leave, but was stopped by Peggy grabbing his arm, turning him back around.

"We'd rather you didn't say anything about mine and Daniel's relationship." Peggy's voice was lowered a little, a worried tone evident in her voice. Jack scoffed a little at her concerns.

"Oh please. Half the office already thinks something's going on anyway. You're not very subtle. But I won't say a word." Jack teased as he tugged his arm from her grip and stalked off. Peggy turned to Daniel, who was nervously rubbing at the back of his neck. He stifled a nervous laugh before offering to go grab them both a drink.

"Alright listen up everyone!" Chief Dooley's loud voice filled the room. Everyone suddenly stopped their conversations and turned to face him, the background noise of the radio still playing. "Thank you all for coming tonight. It's great to have you all here to celebrate before the holidays. You have all been working very hard and I hope that continues." He lifted his glass and everyone cheered together. "I also have an announcement to make. The SSR is branching out and will be opening an office in L.A, so I will be looking to appoint someone as Chief over there, as well as hiring new agents."

Daniel and Peggy both turned to look at each after Dooley's announcement, shrugging their shoulders a little; they both had the same realization that never in a million years would they ever be considered for these roles, but that suited them just fine. They were both settled in New York, and enjoyed their developing relationship. They both had friends and family here, and the thought of uprooting wasn't really an option for either of them. Once Dooley's speech was over, the agents went about enjoying the rest of the party. Daniel leaned over quickly to Peggy and whispered. "Maybe they will send Thompson over to L.A, get him out of our hair."

"Now that I would love to see." Peggy smirked a little before sipping more of her drink.

At the end of the night, Daniel and Peggy said their goodbyes to everyone before heading out of the building together. There was a light showering of snow falling from the sky, which painted a rather picturesque setting. New York City was truly beautiful in the evening, and the added snowfall just added to the festive atmosphere. The couple walked arm in arm down the street, not wanting the night to end. Daniel could not take his eyes off of Peggy. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he still couldn't quite believe that she had chosen him. The closer they got to Peggy's apartment, the more concerned she was becoming. Daniel was being unusually quiet, and his body felt very stiff, like something was bothering him. Suddenly, without warning, Peggy stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" Peggy asked, a slight tone of concern in her voice.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he tried to steer the conversation elsewhere; he knew exactly what was wrong with him. He was in love but couldn't find the courage to tell her. "Nothing's wrong."

"Daniel…" Peggy's brows furrowed together a little, as she grew more and more concerned.

_Oh god. Get it together Sousa._ "Peggy I-" He felt himself getting a little tongue tied, unable to form words. Before he made a royal mess of things, he steadied himself with a deep breath. He used his free hand to reach out and take Peggy's in his own, finally plucking up the courage to speak. The confession came out rather rushed however. "I love you Peggy."

Daniel noted the widening of Peggy's eyes and he started to internally panic. _Too soon Sousa. Great job._ He suddenly let go of Peggy's hand and looked down in embarrassment. He'd ruined it. He knew it was too soon to tell her. "Daniel?" Peggy's soft voice cut through the silence, her hand coming to rest under his chin to tilt it up, forcing him to look at her.

"I'm sorry Peggy. If it's too soon I completely-"

"Daniel." Peggy cut him off; she had a habit of doing that when he rambled on.

"Y…yeah?"

"I love you too." A soft hand cradled Daniel's cheek, and she bit her bottom lip, waiting for his response to her declaration.

Daniel was absolutely stunned. He opened his mouth to speak numerous times but couldn't honestly find the words to do so. When the realization of her words settled into his brain, a grin broke out onto Daniel's face. "Y…you do?" When Peggy nodded her head, Daniel let out a strangled chuckle, not quite believing this was happening. Peggy grew impatient, and grabbed at the lapels of his jacket, crashing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

* * *

_22nd December 1946_

As Peggy became aware of her surroundings, she stretched her arms and legs out like a cat. When she tried to shuffle around in the bed sheets a little, she realized that there was an arm draped protectively over her body. A sleepy smile graced her lips as she turned carefully to look at the figure sleeping beside her. Daniel looked peaceful; his hair had now gone very curly, tufting out in different directions. Peggy couldn't help herself as she reached a hand out and placed it in his hair, tangling it through her fingers. Becoming aware of her touch, Daniel grunted and tightened the arm around her body and pulled her closer to him. Peggy let out a small chuckle as she untangled her hand from his hair and rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

"Morning Peg…" Daniel murmured sleepily into her tousled hair.

"Morning..." She replied, shifting in his arms so she was propped up, looking down to him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well, when I eventually got to sleep, yes."

"And who's fault was that exactly?" Peggy asked, raising her eyebrow, trying to hide her smirk from him.

"Well I can't help it if I'm so irresistible." A smug grin appeared on Daniel's face as he spoke.

"Oh, is that what you're calling it?" Peggy countered with a small nudge to his chest.

"Hey!" Daniel snickered at her banter, before leaning up and capturing her lips with his. When they broke the kiss to catch their breath, Daniel lifted his hand and stroked her cheek tenderly.

"What?"

"You." He stated simply. "You're beautiful Peg."

Listening to his words, Peggy's cheeks flushed a nice shade of pink. After a moment, she leant down and kissed Daniel soundly, wrapping her arms around him. Peggy pulled back, leaning down and whispering in his ear, which made the hairs on the back of Daniel's neck stand up. "We still have about half an hour until we need to get up."

"You're a tease, Peggy Carter." He spoke before crashing their lips together once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I wasn't going to follow any story lines, but I wanted to stay as true as possible and add in the opening of the L.A office.   
> Hope you're all staying safe!   
> Until next time...


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice little Christmas Day chapter! Feels weird writing about Christmas in July!   
> Enjoy!

_25th December 1946_

Peggy stirred from her deep slumber, adjusting to her surroundings as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Slowly sitting up in the bed, Peggy rotated her head round to check the time on her alarm clock. Reaching her arms out to pluck it from its place on the nightstand, she squinted hard to see that it read 7:05.

"Mama!" A familiar voice close by snapped Peggy from her thoughts. A sleepy smile graced her lips as she deposited the clock down in its rightful place. Peggy swung her legs off the edge of the bed, donned her slippers and dressing gown before heading across to where her daughter was lying awake in the crib.

"Merry Christmas poppet." Peggy scooped the little girl into her arms before pressing a soft kiss to Sarah's cheek. "I hope you let me sleep this much on Christmas day in the future." Peggy chuckled a little before tapping Sarah on her nose playfully. "I somehow don't think that will happen though."

After navigating their way through to the living room, Peggy gasped, entertaining her daughter as she pointed out the presents that were lying scattered on the floor around the bottom of Howard's large Christmas tree. The whole house was decorated with Christmas lights and decorations, which definitely added to the festive feel. The only person she wouldn't be seeing today was Angie, for she was spending Christmas with her own family today. Daniel was due to arrive around noon and would be staying over. He was yet to meet her mother and father, so Peggy was feeling rather nervous about it.

Treading through to the kitchen, Peggy placed Sarah carefully into her highchair before making herself a cup of tea, grabbing a bottle for Sarah in the process. As she placed the newly filled kettle on the stove, she kept an eye on Sarah, who was happily sat, tapping her hands on the chair and kicking her legs. Just as Peggy poured the boiled water into her cup, Amanda emerged from the doorway.

"Good morning Margaret. Merry Christmas." Amanda made her way over to Sarah and scooped her granddaughter out of her chair and cuddled her close. "And Merry Christmas to you too, Sarah." Since meeting her grandparents a couple of days ago for the first time, Sarah had settled very well in their company. Peggy was always wary about her daughter meeting new people, but it seemed that her little Sarah had a rather bubbly personality already and meeting new people never fazed her.

"Merry Christmas Mum." Peggy quickly grabbed another teacup and made her mother a drink, bringing the cups over and placing them down on the countertop.

Once Peggy was back in her daughter sights, Sarah reached her chubby little arms out, fussing to grab her attention. "Mama." Sarah mumbled, struggling as she kept reaching out towards Peggy. After taking a quick sip from her own teacup, she placed it down and plucked Sarah from her mother's arms.

"You're up early Mum, is everything okay?" Peggy questioned, gently stroking Sarah's hair as she spoke.

"Well, I heard some movement out here so I decided to get up, and you know how badly your father snores." Amanda chuckled slightly, Peggy following with her own laughter. Oh yes, she knew how badly her father snored; Peggy had heard her mother complain about it enough in the past. "And it's Christmas day. I don't want to waste a single second, considering it's Sarah's very first Christmas."

"Daniel should be arriving around noon. That gives us plenty of time to get organized. Ana has been hard at work preparing the food so I'm sure we're in for a treat."

"I'm looking forward to it." Amanda smiled genuinely. "Although I do hope your friend Howard winds his mouth in."

Peggy grimaced a little. "I apologize, he can be rather inappropriate at times. Trust me Mum, I've already had a word with him about it."

After having a quick breakfast once the rest of the house was up and awake, Peggy went off to get herself and Sarah ready for the day of festivities. Like clockwork, Daniel arrived on time, ringing the doorbell. With Sarah resting on her hip, dressed in an adorable burgundy red dress, white tights and black patent shoes, Peggy padded to the front door, opening it to reveal her beau, dressed smartly, holding a big bag in his free hand. "Merry Christmas Daniel." Peggy spoke excitedly, gently taking hold of Sarah's hand and waving it. Daniel chuckled watching them before speaking.

"Merry Christmas Peggy. Merry Christmas Sarah." Daniel stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to Peggy's cheek before pressing a kiss to Sarah's head, to which she snuggled into the crook of Peggy's neck in shyness. Stepping back to let Daniel inside, he crutched his way past the threshold. Once Peggy had shut the front door, she led Daniel through to the living room where everybody was sitting, engaging in conversation. When Daniel, Peggy and Sarah emerged from the doorway to the living room, her parents, who were sat on the sofa together, turned to face them.

"Mum, Dad, this is Daniel." Placing the bag he was holding down onto the floor, Daniel made his way over to her parents, who were now slowly standing up to greet him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Carter." He outstretched his arm that wasn't in his crutch, meeting Peggy's father's hand.

"You too Daniel. But please, call me Harrison." After shaking his hand he turned to face Amanda, who was eyeing Daniel up from head to toe cautiously.

"Yes, it's lovely to meet you dear." Amanda shook Daniel's hand before retreating back to her spot on the sofa.

Peggy could sense some awkwardness in the room, especially from her mother, so decided to try lightening the mood. "You're just in time Daniel. Howard, Edwin and Ana should be just a moment. It's almost time for presents." She looked down at her daughter in her arms. "Isn't that right poppet?"

The group enjoyed opening the presents, and watching Peggy help Sarah open her first ever set of gifts, sat on the floor together. Although Sarah probably wouldn't remember because she was so young, it was rather sweet watching Peggy's excitement and childish side coming out as they ripped open the wrapping paper. Sarah had been spoiled, receiving more toys and clothes than seemed necessary, but Peggy was so happy that her daughter had wonderful people in her life that wanted to spoil her, especially Howard, who loved his role as 'Uncle Howie'. Once all of the wrapping paper was cleared away, everyone sat together on the sofas, enjoying conversation, admiring their gifts and listening to music.

However, Daniel had one last present he wanted to give out; it was for Peggy. He cleared his throat and approached her; she was currently sat on the sofa with Sarah on her lap, waving her new doll that Amanda had bought her. She had grown quite attached to the doll already, but her trusty stuffed teddy bear was right by her side. She'd never fall out of love with that stuffed teddy; it had been through too much trauma of having its ear chewed every day to be unloved.

"Peg?" Daniel asked as he looked down to her, lowering himself down onto the sofa next to her. "I got you a little gift."

"Daniel. You already got me a new scarf and another bottle of my favourite perfume. You didn't have to get me anything else."

Chuckling at her statement, he handed her the box. "Just open it." Peggy raised her eyebrow before she took the box carefully into her hands, pushing open the lid. A small gasp left her lips and her eyes widened. Inside the box was a gold necklace with a locket on the end. The round locket had an engraved letter 'P' on it. Clicking open the locket, inside was space for her to put in two small photographs of her choice.

"Daniel!" She ran her ringer over the necklace carefully. "It's beautiful." Peggy could feel tears springing to her eyes, so she bit her bottom lip to stifle them before lifting her gaze to meet his. "This is too much." Peggy went to hand him the box but Daniel waved his hand, signaling for her to keep it.

"It's not too much. I wanted to get it for you." He smiled warmly, before helping her put the necklace on.

* * *

Soon after, Ana called through to announce that dinner was ready, and it had lived up to their expectations and more. Ana had done a marvelous job with cooking the numerous dishes and courses, which were enjoyed by everyone, even her mother who was very particular with her cooking. As wonderful as the food was, Peggy couldn't shake the cold vibe her mother was giving off. She knew something was wrong, but didn't feel it was appropriate to bring it up at the dinner table; she didn't want to ruin her daughter's first Christmas. After helping to clear the table, Peggy now found herself in the kitchen with her mother, helping with the washing up. As Peggy placed another washed plate on the side, she plopped the washcloth down before turning to her mother.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Peggy asked abruptly, catching her mother off guard.

"Nothing is the matter Margaret." Amanda placed a plate down onto the counter a little harder than she had anticipated.

Peggy tutted a little at her mother's response; her mother never did like confrontation. "Well clearly something is wrong. You've had a face on ever since Daniel got here."

"Oh Margaret, don't be so rude."

"Rude?" She spoke a little incredulously. "There are many things I want to say right now, but I don't want to put a dampener on the day."

There was a silence hanging over the women before her mother eventually voiced her concerns, hitting Peggy emotionally right in the gut. "You could have had such a lovely life with Fred, Margaret, back in England. But instead you're here on the other side of the world with-" Before Amanda could finish her sentence, Peggy cut her off.

"With Daniel? Is that what this is about?" Peggy snapped back, feeling her heart racing with anger. "Honestly Mum, can't you just be happy for me?" When she never got a response, Peggy scoffed before retreating to leave the room. Just as she got to the doorway, she turned back once more; her mother now had her back to her. "You know, I'm the happiest I've been in a very long time. I have a job where I am starting to be respected more. I have a daughter who is the light of my life, great friends who are like my family and I have Daniel." Peggy felt a wobble in her voice. Swallowing hard, she continued. "I love him Mum. Sarah loves him too. Can't that be enough for you?" She paused, biting back the tears. "Now I'm going to go through there and make sure we enjoy the rest of Christmas."

Peggy stormed through to the living room, her heels echoing in the hallway. As Peggy neared the doorway, she could hear the voices of Daniel and her father. Leaning against the door, she listened carefully, brushing her hand across her cheek, and wiping a stray tear that had fallen from her eyes.

Both Daniel and Harrison were sat in the armchairs in the corner of the living room; Sarah was sat on Daniel's lap, babbling away and waving her doll around. Peggy's father was clutching a glass of whiskey, taking a sip every so often. When Peggy had started listening in to their conversation, they were chatting about Daniel's Portuguese heritage and family and his love of baseball, but the mood of the conversation soon turned serious when her father changed the subject.

"You love my daughter, don't you?" Harrison questioned, before glancing down to Sarah, who had snuggled herself into Daniel's torso, cuddling her doll.

Daniel nodded his head confidently in response. "I do. And I love Sarah. I have nothing but the highest respect for your daughter." He took a deep breath to steady his nerves that were creeping in before continuing. "I'm in this for the long haul, Mr. Carter. As you know, I lost my leg in the war, and I never thought I'd ever see myself in this position. But Peggy has never treated me any differently. Just like I don't treat her any differently for being a woman. I love her." As Daniel ended his speech, a goofy grin appeared on his face.

Harrison digested what Daniel had just told him, a big smile creeping up on his face also. "Well Daniel, I have to say, I think you are a fine young man. I can tell by the way you look at my daughter that you love her. And it is very clear to see that Sarah is very comfortable around you too." He looked at Sarah, who caught his gaze, grinning widely at her grandfather. "Amanda may seem a little hard to please but Peggy and her mother have always had differing opinions. Ever since she left for war, their relationship has never been the same. I do hope they can find it in themselves to work through this rough patch."

Peggy smiled to herself hearing her father's words; _he_ liked Daniel at least; her mother would need a bit of convincing. Wiping once again at her eyes, Peggy straightened herself out before walking through the doors, greeting both her father and Daniel before their conversation continued any more. "Oh, hello Margaret. Daniel and I were just talking."

"Oh? Anything interesting?" Peggy asked with a raised eyebrow. She played dumb to the fact she had just eavesdropped most of their conversation. As she approached her father's armchair, she perched herself on the arm of the chair, placing her delicate hand onto her Dad's shoulder.

"We're just getting to know each other. We both share a love of fishing, and I've already talked your Dad into going to a baseball game the next time he visits." Daniel chimed in, a proud grin on his face; Peggy knew how much Daniel loved baseball.

"Next time? So we haven't scared you off then?" Peggy's lips quirked up as she teased.

"Nonsense Margaret. I mean of course, we would like for you to come to visit us in England first before we come back over. But I am very much enjoying myself. You've got yourself a great life here." Peggy felt herself getting a little chocked up, and all she could do was lean down and press a kiss to her father's grey head of hair.

"Thank you Dad." Tilting her head in the direction of Daniel, she smirked a little seeing Sarah sprawled out asleep on Daniel's lap, snuffling quietly as she breathed in and out evenly.

"It seems I make a pretty comfortable pillow." Daniel chuckled quietly, stroking Sarah's head gently.

"So I see." Peggy got up off the arm of her father's chair and made her way over to where Daniel was sat, glancing down at them. "I better get her to bed." Carefully, trying not to wake her, Peggy plucked Sarah from Daniel's lap and went through to get her settled for the night. Upon returning, she said goodnight to her parents who were retiring to their bedroom for the night. As she walked into the living room, she padded over to where Daniel was stood, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Hey." He spoke, craning his neck round to see her. Daniel turned around and wrapped his free arm around her, kissing the top of her head. The two of them stood like that for a while, enjoying each other's embrace. When Peggy let out a sigh louder then anticipated, Daniel frowned a little hearing her. "Are you okay?" He finally asked, pulling back just a little so he could look at her.

Peggy glanced up with her big brown eyes, nodding her head. "Yes. My father seems to have taken quite a liking to you."

"He's a great guy, Peg. Is everything okay with your Mom?" He questioned carefully, not wanting to push her into telling him anything she didn't want to.

Peggy shrugged her shoulders a little, sarcasm dripping from her next words. "It will be. It's just my Mum being her lovely self."

All of a sudden, the radio that was on quietly in the background started playing the opening chords of 'White Christmas' by Bing Crosby; one of Peggy's favourite Christmas songs. As she broke their embrace, Peggy walked over to the radio, turning up the volume. Bing's smooth voice filled her ears as he started to sing, and a wave of happiness ran through her. When she turned back round to face Daniel, he was eyeing her up cautiously.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Peggy quizzed, stepping towards him, but noted that Daniel seemed to stiffen up at her question. "Don't worry. We can just sway to the music. Nothing fancy."

"I don't know Peg. I don't wanna fall over and bring you down with me." Daniel chewed the inside of his lip nervously.

"You won't. I'll hold onto you. I am rather strong you know." Peggy's lips quirked up in a smile; her eyes desperately trying to convince him to say yes.

After eventually giving in and agreeing to dance with her, Daniel made sure he was balanced properly before he leant his crutch down by the sofa. He straightened up before taking Peggy into his arms. One hand was rested protectively on her waist; the other enveloped one of her hands in his. Peggy's other hand was perched delicately on his shoulder whilst she brought her head down to rest on his shoulder. They started to sway gently to the music, not daring to make any big movements in case Daniel lost his balance. Peggy closed her eyes as they moved to the music. She hadn't thought about dancing with anyone after Steve died. He had promised her a dance before the plane went down, and she had stated that she was waiting for the right partner; perhaps she had found him.

"Merry Christmas, Margaret." Daniel teased playfully, feeling Peggy smirk against him.

"If I hear you calling me that again, you're going to be in trouble, Daniel Jordan Sousa." She mumbled in his ear as they swayed together, marveling in the happiness she was feeling.

"How do you know my middle name?" He asked, chuckling into her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

Peggy lifted her head to look into his eyes, a devilish smirk gracing her mouth. "I have my ways." She beamed up at him, drinking in his handsome features. After a moment, Peggy moved her head in closer to Daniel, pressing her lips against his sweetly. When they broke apart, they pressed their foreheads against each other. "Merry Christmas Daniel."


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 11! I actually can't believe I have managed to write this much! There's only two chapters to go after this one! I should be starting a new job soon so need to focus my attention on that, but that doesn't mean to say I'll stop writing!  
> Enjoy!

_3rd January 1947_

"Come on…" Daniel grunted quietly to himself in frustration, his hands fumbling around with the wrapping paper covering the gift he was holding. Daniel didn't want the gift to look shoddy, even though as soon as the little girl got her hands on it, it would be ripped off. Daniel was very much looking forward to seeing not only Sarah's, but also Peggy's reaction to the birthday gifts he had purchased for the birthday girl. The little girl had proven to be very defiant and adventurous, so when Daniel had spotted the pink rocking horse in the shop window, he couldn't resist buying it along with a few more toys to complete the array of gifts.

Holding the newly wrapped present out in front of him, a small smile graced his lips as he admired his handiwork. "There…perfect." Peggy had eventually agreed that Howard could organize a birthday party to celebrate the youngster's special day. The guests invited were obviously himself, Peggy, Edwin, Ana, Amanda, Harrison, Angie and all of Daniel's family. Even though Peggy's parents were only supposed to stay for a few days to celebrate Christmas, they had decided that they wanted to stay a little longer. They didn't want to miss out on their granddaughter's first birthday, but would be returning to England the following day. The situation between Peggy and her mother was looking a little more positive, which pleased Daniel; he hated to think that he was the cause of their arguments. Peggy had constantly reassured him that her mother was very set in her ways and she would see how wonderful he really was soon enough.

As Daniel collected his thoughts, he placed the present down on the table in front of him before standing up. He then reached over and grabbed his crutch that was leaning against the dining table. Gaining his balance, the sound of his telephone caught his attention. Daniel crutched as quickly as he could down the hallway, picking up the telephone and holding it to his ear. "Daniel Sousa."

"Agent Sousa? This is Chief Dooley." Whoever Daniel thought was calling him, he certainly hadn't expected to hear the Chief's voice at the other end of the phone.

"Chief? To what do I owe the pleasure?" Daniel queried, clearing his throat a little.

"Well I've got some exciting news for you…"

* * *

Children's laughter, music playing loudly, and adult's chatter filled Peggy's senses as she made her way out into Howard's back yard. Peggy couldn't help but smile at the number of people socializing and having a good time. There had been a wonderful turnout for the party, and even though she was apprehensive, her parents seemed to be getting on well with Daniel's family. Speaking of Daniel, she hadn't seen him arrive, and was growing quite worried about his tardiness.

Pushing this thought from her mind for a moment, she glanced around at her friends and family, searching for someone specific. The frown on her face softened immediately when her eyes became fixated on her daughter, who was curled up in the arms of her Auntie Angie. The two were giggling loudly as Angie spun around playfully, dancing to the music in the background. Peggy still couldn't quite believe that her little girl was now a one year old. What a whirlwind year it had been for both of them. Peggy was very much looking forward to the future and watching her daughter grow up into a strong and independent young woman.

Meanwhile, out in the driveway, Daniel was sat in his car, gearing himself up to get out and join the party. Even though the car engine was switched off, his hands were clamped around the steering wheel, causing his knuckles to turn white. He was clearly on edge and nervous, but he tried to push those thoughts from his mind, trying desperately to put on a brave face. The last thing Daniel wanted to do was ruin Sarah's birthday party. The news he had received earlier on had shaken him, and he didn't quite know how to bring it up in conversation with Peggy. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. Taking a deep breath to steady him, he pushed open the car door, grabbing his crutch in the process. After shutting the door, he scooped up the presents from the back seat and rested them carefully under his free arm. Locking the car, he slowly made his way up the drive to the gate that led to the backyard.

Peggy was now sat with Sarah on her lap, feeding her small forkfuls of some of the wonderful food that Ana had prepared for the buffet. As Sarah took another bite, Peggy gazed up, noticing Howard approach them and take a seat across from them. "Is everything alright Peg?" He asked, a look of concern etched on his face. "It's your daughter's first birthday and you're sat here with a face like a lost puppy."

"Yes Howard, I'm fine. The party is wonderful. Thank you once again for hosting it." A small smile graced her lips, greatful for Howard's enthusiasm and hospitality.

"Don't mention it. I wanted to." He chuckled at little Sarah, who had food smeared all over her face. "So where's Danny-boy? I haven't seen him yet."

As Peggy took a small cloth from her cardigan pocket, she wiped Sarah's face, her brows furrowing together a little. "I'm not sure where he is. He should have been here by now." Placing the cloth down onto the table in front of them, they carried on engaging in conversation. Suddenly, Peggy looked up, just passed Howard, spotting Daniel coming towards them. Howard pulled a confused look at his friend's averted gaze before turning around to see what she was looking at.

"Well speak of the devil. Here, I'll take Sarah. You go see if Danny-boy is okay." Howard offered kindly, holding his arms out to retrieve the young girl from her mother's arms.

Peggy stood up, carefully depositing Sarah into Howard's arms before gingerly making her way to Daniel. She noted that he was struggling a little with the gifts under his arm, so as soon as she was close enough, she outstretched her arms. Daniel smiled greatfully, allowing her to take the presents. "Hey Peg. Thanks, I thought I wasn't gonna make it without dropping them." He chuckled a little.

"Hi Daniel." Her brows were knitting together in concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, sorry. My uh…my legs just been giving me a lot of gyp today. I'm sorry for being late."

"It's okay. I was just starting to get a little concerned, that's all." Her frown softened hearing him chuckle at her response.

"Getting protective over me now, are ya?" Daniel asked with a small smirk, trying to reassure not only Peggy, but also him. He stepped forward and placed a tender kiss to her cheek, before craning his head back to look at her. "You look beautiful."

Peggy's cheeks blushed hearing his words; he always knew how to make her feel special. "Sweet talker…" She teased with a quirk of her lips; however, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was in fact troubling Daniel. She'd get it out of him later on, she decided; now was not the time to be interrogating him. "Come on, let's go join the others. We're bringing out the cake soon." Peggy cocked her head a little to signal for Daniel to follow her, and he did just that.

As both Daniel and Peggy came into view of the other guests, Sylvia, Daniel's mother, immediately scolded him for his lateness. Peggy couldn't help but snicker at Sylvia's scolding, even though Daniel was a grown man, she still worried for him; she thought to herself that she would be exactly the same with Sarah, even when she got older. Peggy treaded over and grabbed Sarah from Howard's arms; she knew that Ana was inside preparing the cake to bring it outside.

Soon after, like Peggy had said, Ana emerged from the patio doors with a cake in her arms, lit up with candles. Ana started the song, and the chorus of people joined in with singing 'Happy Birthday' to Sarah. When Ana reached them, the little girls eyes lit up as she studied the cake. It was a simple sponge with light pink frosting and white candles. "Make a wish, my darling." Peggy kissed her daughter on the cheek, before helping her to blow out the candles. The crowd erupted in cheer once the song was finished, and Peggy's heart swelled at the sound of her daughter's giggles.

With the help of Mr. Jarvis, Ana went off the slice the cake into little pieces for the guests. Peggy rotated her head towards Daniel, and when their eyes locked together, he took a couple of steps forward and grinned at Sarah. "Happy birthday, sweetheart." Daniel reached his hand out and tapped her on the nose, causing Sarah to reach her arms out eagerly towards him. As Peggy carefully placed her in Daniel's arms, Sarah rested her head in the crook of his neck.

A sudden flash from a camera caught the couple off guard and Peggy started to protest, but soon stopped when she realized who hit was. Howard was stood with a massive smirk on his face; he had never seen Peggy so happy before, and would forever tease her for how domestic she looked in that moment.

"That opportunity was too good to miss. It's like happy families." Howard teased, causing Peggy to role her eyes in response.

"Shut it, Stark."

* * *

The birthday party had been a huge success, and once again Sarah had been truly spoiled; showered with presents from her loved ones. After saying goodbye to their friends and family, Peggy bathed Sarah and got her ready for bed. Settling her for the night, Peggy's heart felt fit to burst; overwhelmed with happiness of the day, but also sadness at the fact her parents would be going back to England tomorrow. Amanda, her mother, had been really trying hard to patch up their differences, and Peggy was glad that she was finally seeing sense and allowing herself to get to know Daniel better. However, something was still niggling at the back of her mind; she needed to find out what had been bothering Daniel. He had been a little off all day, although he had tried to hide it.

"Daniel?" Her gentle voice broke the silence as she entered the living room, taking Daniel by surprise.

"Hey, Peg." He replied, somewhat startled, raking his hand through his hair.

Peggy padded over slowly to where Daniel was stood, reaching out to grab his free hand in hers. "I want you to be honest with me."

Daniel could feel himself getting a little clammy and tense. She'd sussed out that something was wrong. Of course she had, this was Peggy Carter, one of the best agents he knew. No wait, in fact, the best. Breathing in deeply to remain calm, Peggy continued talking. "Something's been bothering you all day. Is it something I said? Or have I done something to upset you?"

"No, of course not. You've done absolutely nothing wrong." He shook his head, speaking in a reassuring tone.

"Then what's wrong?" She raised her voice a little exasperatedly, letting go of his hand so she could fling her arms up in sudden frustration. "And don't tell me it's your leg that's bothering you, because I'm not buying it." By this point, both hands were now resting on her hips, an eyebrow quirked up, awaiting his answer.

"Peggy. I…it's complicated." Daniel spluttered out, not wanting to admit to her what was truly wrong with him. _Just tell her the truth Sousa!_ After a moment, he managed to find the words. "I got a call this morning, from Chief Dooley and-"

"And what?" Peggy queried, growing impatient.

"He's offered me the position of Chief in the L.A office." Peggy's eyes widened a little in response to Daniel's revelation; she certainly wasn't expecting that.

Never in a million years did Daniel ever expect this to happen. He was quite happy with where he was in his life, and the offer had definitely come as a shock. It wasn't like he really had much of a choice either. Peggy opened and closed her mouth like a fish a few times, not being able to form words. "Well…" She started, her words getting caught in her throat, feeling something tug on her heartstrings. She couldn't be angry with him for getting this opportunity. He had earned it and worked extremely hard at his job. "That's wonderful news Daniel. I couldn't think of anyone else who deserves this more than you."

" _Is it_ wonderful news?" He asked, brows knitted together, confused at her reaction. "What about us?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Peggy leant herself on the back of the sofa, still trying to process what was happening. "I'm not going to lie to you, I'm a little shocked, but I wouldn't ever expect you to turn down this opportunity for me, Daniel." She placed her head in her hands, trying to think. "No, in fact, I cannot be the reason for you not to take this job."

He scoffed at that. "Do you not value what we have, Peg?" Daniel took a few steps closer to her, Peggy gazing up at him with a frown painted across her face.

"Of course I value our relationship Daniel! All I am saying is that you need to take this promotion! You've worked hard for this. I suppose Dooley hasn't really given you much of an option either."

"Well, all I am saying is that I'm confused at how calm you are about this! I've been a nervous wreck all day, wondering how I was going to tell you!" Daniel retorted, raising his voice at her a little. Did she not love him at all?

"When does Dooley want to fly you out?" Peggy asked abruptly, swallowing back the lump that was forming in her throat.

"In a few weeks." Daniel mumbled, taking hold of her hand in his own, stroking the back of her hand affectionately. "Peggy…I love you. But how can we make this work?"

Hearing him speak, Peggy could feel the tears building up in her eyes. She squeezed his hand in return, choking out a strangled sob. "I don't know, Daniel."

"Oh Peg…" Daniel soothed, wrapping his arm around her, placing a gentle kiss into her hair. As he comforted her, Peggy's body shook a little as she cried in his arms. A sudden thought popped into Daniel's head as they embraced each other. "Come with me." He whispered tenderly in her ear, causing Peggy's head to shoot up, meeting his gaze.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"You and Sarah. Come to L.A with me."

Daniel could see to cogs ticking in her head, it was etched all over her face. After a moment, Peggy shook her head. "I can't. Who would look after Sarah? We wouldn't know anyone out there." She stepped back out of his arms, feeling the situation beginning to spiral out of control.

"We'd find someone, there's bound to be babysitters in L.A."

"I trust Isabella, Daniel. And if we couldn't find someone that we trust, I wouldn't be able to keep my job. And who's to say Dooley would consider transferring me?" Peggy tried reasoning with him, willing for him to understand how she was feeling. She loved her daughter, but she also loved her job too. "I think you should go home Daniel and think about this, before we both say things we will regret."

"How can you just give up on this" he waved his hand between them " _us_ , so easily?" He asked, going to take her hand again, but she snatched it out of his reach.

"I'm not giving up on us Daniel! You're not understanding-" Daniel cut her off before she even had the chance to explain herself.

"What is there to possibly understand Peggy? You and Sarah mean a heck of a lot to me, and we could have a brand new start, _together_!"

Silence hung over the couple after Daniel's last outburst. Composing herself, Peggy cleared her throat a little before speaking. "I just need some space to think…please respect that."

Daniel opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself; not wanting to get them riled up even more. She was right, the way they were going, they would end up saying things they would regret. Instead, Daniel crutched his way to the door before turning round to face her. "All I've ever done is respect you, Peggy."

Peggy stood up from leaning against the sofa; her eyes followed him intently, taking a tentative step forward. She could see the hurt in his eyes. "Daniel, I-"

"Forget it Peg. I'll see you at work." He made his way out, the loud slam of the door causing Peggy to flinch. Covering her mouth with her hand, Peggy squeezed her eyes closed, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. All of a sudden, an eruption of sobs wrecked through her entire body. _What on earth had she done?_

* * *

"Mama…" The little girl mumbled, clutching at her teddy bear. "Mama!" She repeated a little louder, which stirred Peggy from her deep slumber; it had been a struggle for her to fall asleep for obvious reasons. As Peggy clambered out of bed, she swiftly crossed the room before leaning down and plucking Sarah out of her crib.

"Oh darling…" Peggy cooed at the little one, pressing a kiss to her hair, before retiring back to her bed with Sarah in her arms. Leaning over to the side of the bed, she turned on the lamp, illuminating the room a little. Snuggling Sarah protectively in her arms, she glanced down at her daughter with a sleepy smile on her face. "What's the matter Sarah?"

"Dada…" Sarah muttered, chewing on the stuffed bears ear.

Hearing Sarah's innocent little voice, Peggy felt something tugging on her heartstrings once more. "Oh my little love, Daniel isn't here." As she gently stroked her daughter's hair, Peggy bit her lip, feeling utterly terrible about what had happened between them. Daniel had become Sarah's only father figure in her life, and the bond between them had grown over the past few months; hearing Sarah call him 'Dada 'only made Peggy feel even worse.

"Dada…" She muttered again, feeling her eyes growing heavy as the motion of Peggy stroking her hair caused Sarah to drift off to sleep. Noticing that she asleep, Peggy leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Sarah's head before settling them both to sleep in her bed for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry...I promise you'll like the next chapter :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Penultimate chapter! The last chapter is a nice fluffy epilogue to round the story off nicely.   
> Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read my story and give it kudos. It's nice to know people have enjoyed what I've written!   
> Anyway...enjoy!

_22nd January 1947_

The day seemed to be dragging on and on and on, the hustle and bustle of agents coming and going did nothing to pass the time faster. Peggy found herself lost in her own thoughts, absentmindedly tapping her red lacquered nails on the desk, completely distracted from the task at hand. She had a large stack of files that needed sorting, but her mind was spinning with numerous thoughts. It was Daniel's last day working in the New York office before he made the big move to L.A the following afternoon.

Ever since their big argument on the evening of Sarah's birthday, things had been very awkward between the couple; well, Peggy was pretty sure there wasn't a relationship to salvage after the way they had left things. Daniel was distant and cold towards her, and having tried many times to approach him and work through what had happened, Peggy felt like it was a bit of a lost cause. Daniel was leaving, he was moving over 2000 miles away, and Peggy had rejected his offer to move with him, and now she found herself in a situation where she didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to drop everything and move with him, but the aspect of such a big change scared her senseless. It wasn't that Peggy was scared of commitment; she had allowed herself to grieve Steve and adored and loved Daniel with every fiber of her being. But it was the fact that Daniel was asking her to uproot her and Sarah's life and move them to the other side of the country. Peggy had fought many battles and taken out men twice her size, but this scared her.

As Peggy pushed these thoughts from her brain for a moment, glancing up at the clock, she realized that it was nearing lunchtime; Peggy would be due to take and get the lunch orders soon. Standing up from her desk, she grabbed her small pad and pen before making her way round the other agents, trying to delay approaching Daniel for as long as possible. When she had no other option, she crept slowly over to Daniel's desk.

Hearing the familiar click clacking of heels coming closer, he knew exactly who it was, and his ears pricked up a little like a meerkat. "Agent Carter. I'll have my usual, please." He spoke, keeping his head down, not daring to look at her.

Peggy winced a little at his blank tone of voice, and the fact he only ever called her Agent Carter now, another symbol of the distance wedged between them. "Daniel." Hearing him hum a response, not tearing his eyes from the paperwork on his desk, Peggy sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "How long are you going to keep this up? You're leaving tomorrow and I-"

"You what?" He cut her off, his tone harsher than he originally anticipated. "What do you expect me to say Peggy? You didn't want to come with me, and I gave you the option." He finally glanced up at her, keeping his voice hushed but with purpose due to the fact that they were at work and there were agents surrounding them; he didn't want to bring any unnecessary attention towards either of them.

"You never let me explain myself, Daniel." Peggy retorted, but before anything else could be said, the familiar voice of Jack Thompson cut the conversation short.

"Marge, hurry up with that lunch order, I'm hungry." With a small sigh, Peggy held Daniel's gaze for a moment before retreating away from his desk.

The rest of the day went rather slowly for Peggy, and when it neared the end of her shift, she eyed Daniel up as she collected her things. His head was once again burrowed in his paperwork, obviously trying to keep busy. After donning her blazer and lifting her handbag, she treaded over to Daniel's desk once more, before clearing her throat. Upon hearing her, Daniel lifted his head and glanced to the side. Peggy took a steady breath before uttering the last words she would say to him before he left.

"Good luck, Daniel. I wish you all the best." She tentatively placed a delicate hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, before retracting her hand and strutting out of the office. Daniel watched with sad, tired eyes as Peggy's figure went out of his gaze, wishing things could be different; oh how he wished they were.

* * *

_23rd January 1947_

"Peggy!" Angie's exasperated tone of voice pulled Peggy from her deep thoughts. She had been staring into space for quite some time, and had failed to realize that Angie had repeated her name numerous times. When Peggy's gaze finally met her friend's, Angie frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side a little. "Everything okay, English?"

Peggy was far from okay; Daniel was flying to L.A later on that same day and she couldn't stop thinking about him, travelling to the other side of the country all on his own, starting a new life. As Peggy tried to formulate some kind of response, Sarah babbled happily in her Auntie Angie's arms. It was a Peggy's day off, and the two Carter girls found themselves in their favourite spot, having some lunch at the diner with Angie whilst she was on a break from her shift. Sarah was sat curled up in Angie's lap, happily eating the food she was fed. Peggy on the other hand had hardly touched her lunch, pushing the food around on the plate; she couldn't eat for the sick feeling in her stomach.

"It's Daniel isn't it?" Angie asked suddenly, causing Peggy to nod her head a little, a sadness washing over her face. "What happened?"

Letting out a small sigh, Peggy collected her thoughts before replying. "He's moving to L.A today. He got a promotion at work." Peggy muttered quietly, feeling her eyes sting with tears that were threatening to fall. She had been holding them back for a while now and hadn't really allowed herself to cry about the whole situation. But then again, she didn't feel like she had any right to cry, considering she was the one who had caused their argument in the first place.

"He's what? English, why didn't you tell me?" Angie furrowed her brows together, not quite believing what her friend was telling her. "When did you find this out?"

"The night of Sarah's birthday. He asked me to move out there with him and I…" Peggy hesitated, still feeling utterly horrible about the hurt and pain she had caused him by her reaction.

"And you said no?" Angie asked in a little bit of a whiney tone, annoyed at her friend's reluctance of taking a chance at a new start. "Why would you do that?"

"It's complicated Angie." Peggy tried to reason with her, but Angie was having none of it.

"What's so complicated about having the opportunity to move to L.A with your daughter and beau? I would go in a heartbeat."

"But I'm not you Angie." Peggy retorted, before letting out another sigh. "We wouldn't know anyone out there and I don't want to give up my job because we couldn't find a babysitter for Sarah."

"English, you are one of the strongest women that I know. If anyone could balance moving to the other side of the country, working and being a mom, it's you!" Once she finished her little outburst, Angie noted the pooling of Peggy's brown eyes. "Oh Peg." She whispered, reaching her free hand out and took Peggy's in her own. "You wanna know what I think?"

"You're going to tell me anyway aren't you?" Peggy asked with a watery chuckle, using her other hand to wipe away a stray tear that had trickled down onto her cheek.

"Enough of the sass. Anyway, I think you're scared of such a big change, and it's natural to feel like that, it's not like it's an hour away. We're talking over 2000 miles here."

"Thanks for reminding me." Peggy huffed another watery laugh before squeezing Angie's hand for comfort.

"Listen English, as much as I would miss you and Sarah like crazy, I think you'd be stupid to pass up an opportunity like this." Angie watched as she could see the cogs turning in Peggy's mind, taking in what she was saying. "You love him don't you?" The question spilled from Angie's lips, and Peggy answered a yes instantly. "And Sarah clearly loves him too." With her next statement, once again Peggy responded quickly by nodding her head. "Well then, why are you letting him get away?"

Upon hearing her friend's words, something suddenly clicked inside Peggy's head. My god, what was she doing? Daniel Sousa was the best thing to happen to her and Sarah, she loved him with every fiber of her being, so yes, why on earth was she letting him get away? With a widening of her eyes, her head snapped to the side as she glanced at the clock hanging up on the wall. She still had time to catch Daniel at the airport before he got on the plane. Grabbing her purse, as quick as a flash her hand dove in, pulling out some money to cover the cost of the lunch, before scrambling around for the little card with Mr. Jarvis' number on it; he had given it to her the first time they had met, saying that if she ever needed assistance, he would happily oblige. "I have to go to Daniel, now." Peggy's voice wobbled with nerves as she stood up from the booth.

"Well that's more like it. Go get your man, English." Angie smirked, before rolling her eyes comically. Of course Peggy realized how silly she was being the day Daniel was due to leave. "Your mom has great timing kiddo." Angie tickled Sarah's sides and marveled at the giggling sounds that erupted from her.

Peggy scoffed playfully at her friend before scuttling over to the payphone in the corner of the diner. After hastily dialing Mr. Jarvis' number, she held the phone to her ear, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

"Edwin Jarvis." His English accent on the other end filled Peggy's ears.

"Mr. Jarvis. Meet me outside the SSR office in fifteen minutes. It's a matter of urgency." Peggy rambled quickly down the phone, her heart racing; she just had to get to Daniel on time.

"Miss Carter? Whatever is the matter?"

"Don't ask questions Mr. Jarvis. I need you to be there in fifteen minutes to take me to the airport. And take the spare car seat for Sarah."

"The airport?" He questioned, wondering why on earth she needed to go to the airport so quickly. A sudden thought struck him like a lightning bolt and all of a sudden he became flustered. "Oh! Oh I see! Yes I will leave this instant! Goodbye Miss Carter." Peggy placed the phone back down and pivoted round before making her way back to the booth.

"Come here, my little love." Peggy bent down and scooped Sarah into her arms from Angie's lap. Angie stood up from where she was sitting, and Peggy enveloped her friend in an uncharacteristic hug. "Thank you so much, Angie."

"Don't mention it, English. It's what I'm here for."

After saying goodbye to Angie, promising to update her on the situation as soon as possible, Peggy made her way to the SSR office. With Sarah perched on her hip, she marched defiantly into the office and had a conversation with Chief Dooley, before waiting for Mr. Jarvis outside the building. Right on time, Edwin pulled up and parked the car, allowing Peggy to strap Sarah into her car seat and sitting in the back next to her. "Ready to go?" Edwin asked, craning his head round to see them.

"Yes. Put your foot down and drive Mr. Jarvis." With that, Edwin pulled out from the pavement and started their drive to the airport. Not being completely satisfied at the speed they were going, Peggy kept chirping at him to drive faster. After the third attempt Edwin finally answered back.

"If I go any faster I will be breaking the speed limit. And need I remind you Miss Carter that there is a child in the-" Before he even had the last word out of his mouth, Peggy's determined and fierce tone of voice cut him off.

"Mr. Jarvis, if you do not put your foot down this instant and drive faster then so help me I will climb over the seat and do it myself!"

"Alright! Alright…" Pressing his foot down on the pedal, he gained a little more speed, and in the back seat, Peggy had a smug look on her face. However, her smile soon disappeared, as they got closer to the airport. Peggy's stomach started to twist with nerves, her heart beating a little faster as the seconds went by.

"Mama!" The voice of her daughter snatched her from the nerves she was feeling.

"Are you alright, my darling?" Peggy asked, turning to face her Sarah, stroking the blond hair on top of her head.

"Dada?" The little girl questioned, locking her eyes with her mother's.

"Yes my love, we're going to go see Daniel." Peggy felt her heart swell hearing Sarah call Daniel 'Dada', she didn't think she would ever not find it completely adorable.

"Here we are." Mr. Jarvis announced before the car came to an abrupt stop outside the airport. Peggy swiftly got out of the back of the car, before circling round to lift Sarah out of the car seat. After thanking Mr. Jarvis profusely for helping her, she explained she wouldn't be too long, before walking briskly into the building. She scoured the area, trying to spot Daniel in the crowds of people that were waiting to catch their flights. It didn't take long before Peggy's eyes recognized a figure, standing with his metal crutch planted firmly into the ground, and carrying a big suitcase in his free hand. She stopped in her tracks and found that her bottom lip had become trapped in between her teeth, thinking about what exactly she would say to him.

"Daniel!" Peggy's voice came out a lot louder than she anticipated, and hearing her voice, Daniel whipped round, his eyes taking her in almost immediately. The grip on his suitcase loosened and the sound of it hitting the ground didn't even cause him to flinch. He couldn't take his eyes off of Peggy, who was now moving towards him, Sarah perched on her hip.

"Peggy? What are you doing here?" He stuttered the question out, bringing up his hand to anxiously rub the back of his neck.

As she came within a close proximity, Peggy planted her feet firmly and took a deep breath. "I wanted to say goodbye to you." _Really Peggy? That's what you come out with? You wanted to say goodbye?!_

"Right…" He spoke, not entirely convinced, but when he turned his head to look at Sarah, she eagerly reached her arms out to him. "Hello squirt." Daniel smiled, reaching his hand out to tickle her under the chin before thinking carefully about his next question. "Why are you really here Peggy?"

Shuffling her feet nervously, Peggy replied. "I wanted to…I just wanted-" Being unable to get her words out, she internally chastised herself. _Good god, get yourself together Carter!_ "I wanted to say that I'm sorry that I hurt you. I got scared, not of commitment to you, but scared of such a big change. I've been so stupid and the thought of you hating me made me feel so utterly terrible. I love you Daniel and I couldn't live with myself if I let the best thing that ever happened to me get away. I've been such an idiot."

Daniel listened to Peggy's declaration before letting out a sigh he didn't realize he was holding in. "Oh Peg, I could never hate you." He stepped forward and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle and reassuring squeeze. "I should apologize for how I've been acting the last few weeks. I haven't exactly been the nicest to you."

"You had good reason to be like that." Peggy reasoned with him, dropping her head to look at their feet.

"Peggy, look at me." Daniel's voice had grown softer now, and as her head slowly rose up, he noted that her brown eyes were filling with tears. The couple just stood there, staring at each other for quite some time, unsure of what to say to make the situation any better.

"I spoke to Chief Dooley before I came here." Peggy finally broke the silence between them, and Daniel screwed up his face in confusion.

"About what?" Daniel queried, trying to understand what she was trying to tell him. After a very long pause, Peggy finally answered him.

"About a transfer to the L.A office."

Upon hearing her words, Daniel's face dropped, before suddenly brightening with an ever-growing smile. "Really?" He asked, not quite believing what Peggy was saying to him.

"Really." And with that, Peggy surged forward and pressed her lips to Daniel's, a surprised sound coming from him before he melted into the kiss. They let go of each other's hands and Daniel snaked his free arm around the small of her back, pulling her in closer, both mindful of not squashing Sarah. When they eventually came up for air, Peggy breathlessly reached a hand up to scrub the red lipstick that had smeared over Daniel's face.

"What made you change your mind?" Daniel asked, eyeing her up as she wiped at his mouth.

"Well Chief, you are going to need some help building up a highly skilled team in L.A, and I rather think I would be a good addition to your team." Peggy's mouth quirked up in a cheeky grin, causing Daniel to chuckle at her words.

"Oh you do, do you?" He teased; looking into her eyes with such adoration that Peggy thought her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

"Yes, only if you'll have me?"

"You know I will, Peg." Daniel replied, before capturing her lips in his once more.

"Mmm…go." She mumbled as she pulled back from the kiss. "Catch that flight and we will be there to join you as soon as possible." Peggy looked to Sarah and bounced her playfully in her arms. "Won't we poppet?"

After stealing a quick cuddle from Sarah, he said goodbye to his two favourite girls. Slowly crutching his way in the direction of his airplane that would take him to his new start, Peggy called after him one final time. When he turned round, her heart leapt at the sight of him, knowing that very soon they would be starting their new life, together.

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the fluff...I can't help myself! :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter of this story! I want to say thank you so much to everyone who has given kudos to this story! It has been so much fun writing this. I am hoping to write a series of one shots following the life of Daniel, Peggy and Sarah in no particular order. If you have any ideas of one shots or prompts you would like to see please don't hesitate to message me or comment some ideas! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this final chapter, I rewrote it multiple times, trying to get it just right!

_5th April 1949_

The bright, warm, L.A sunshine streamed through the crack in the bedroom curtains, signaling that a new day had well and truly begun. The sunlight beamed through, casting a few lines across Peggy's face, which caused her to stir from her deep slumber. Waking up, she stretched her legs and her hand clumsily fumbled around for the alarm clock on the nightstand. Through sleepy, half closed eyes, she tapped her hand a few times until it curled around the object she was searching for. Squinting at the clock, she blinked as she read 9 o'clock, a lie in compared to the normal time she would rise to start the day.

After putting the alarm clock back down, she settled back into the comfort of the bed sheets and marshmallow soft pillows. It was Peggy's birthday today, and she thought for a moment about what today would entail. She knew for a fact that Daniel would have the whole day planned right down to the last detail. Her mind cast back to the last year and how quickly it had passed since her last birthday celebrations. What a year it had been; it was filled with lots of exciting new work opportunities and memories with her family that she would cherish forever. Peggy also thought about how time had truly flown by since she had made the move to L.A; often wondering what her life would have been like if she hadn't gone to the airport to catch Daniel before he flew that day. Everyday Peggy felt ever so glad she finally saw sense and didn't let Daniel go.

The move to L.A. had all happened rather quickly, as she suspected it would. A few weeks after her and Daniel's reconciliation at the airport, both Peggy and Sarah packed up their lives and flew out to join him. Daniel had been working hard to build up a strong, solid team in the L.A office, and it was decided that Agent Fisher and none other than Rose Roberts would be transferring with Peggy. Having both Agent Fisher and Rose in the office with her definitely helped settle Peggy into her new life in L.A. The new L.A office had been disguised as the 'Auberauch Talent Agency', and Rose did a wonderful job manning the desk, turning away the unfortunate, starry eyed singers and actors who were trying out for the newest agency in town.

Now Peggy must admit to herself, that it had been difficult saying goodbye to her beloved friends, Angie, Howard and Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis. What she didn't expect was how difficult it was saying goodbye to Isabella and George, her landlord and landlady. There was a strong bond between the couple and Peggy, and they had been so good to her. They never complained about looking after Sarah, in fact they absolutely doted on her, and Peggy had felt so comfortable in the building and never doubted that if she ever needed anything, Isabella and George would be there to help. The news of Peggy's move had come as a shock, but above anything else they were unbelievably happy to hear that Peggy was getting a brand new start, and they promised to stay in touch through phone calls.

It took a bit of getting used to at first; L.A. was certainly a lot different to New York, and even now Peggy was still getting used to things, especially the hot, muggy weather. Daniel constantly teased Peggy about not coping well with the heat, but her response every time without fail was that she couldn't help having a pale complexion that was prone to burning. The growing up in England card made an appearance many times, I mean, England wasn't a place that was renowned for it's sunshine and hot weather now was it?

Another hurdle they needed to jump was finding a babysitter for Sarah so that Peggy could continue working at the office. It was tough finding that balance of working and looking after Sarah, some days they were so desperate that they would bring Sarah into the office, hoping that it wouldn't backfire on them. However, about a month or so after moving, Howard had phoned Peggy out of the blue. He was purchasing property out in L.A. and was moving there with Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis. Ana and Edwin immediately took on the role of babysitter for her daughter, which lifted a huge weight off of Peggy's shoulders, meaning she could go to work without feeling guilty about leaving her daughter with strangers to look after her. Everything seemed to be falling into place for them.

Letting out a contented sigh as she pushed these thoughts from her mind, Peggy flopped her arm down and was met with a cold empty space. Frowning slightly, she propped herself up on the bed, wondering where Daniel could have gotten to. Before she had much longer to think, two familiar voices could be heard outside their bedroom door.

"Careful squirt, keep that plate steady, you don't want to drop it on the floor." Daniel's muffled voice filled Peggy's ears, the frown on her face disappearing. The next voice, belonging to her daughter, made her heart swell.

"I promise." Sarah, who was now three years old, pulled her best concentration face, which caused Daniel to chuckle. Just like they had predicted, Sarah had indeed turned out to be just as determined and headstrong as her mother. She was a mini Peggy in every way, even adopting the same pouty lip when she didn't get her way, which made Daniel love the little girl even more. Sarah was in no way shy of expressing her feelings to her parents; certainly a force to be reckoned with.

The door creaked open slowly, and Daniel appeared in the doorway with little Sarah tiptoeing in behind him. While Sarah was holding a small plate of toast, Daniel was balancing a tray of food on his free arm with ease. The aroma of the food caused Peggy's stomach to growl as she sat up properly in the bed. "Well this certainly is a lovely way to wake up. Good morning my darlings."

Upon reaching the bed, Sarah carefully stretched up on her tiptoes, placing the plate down on the nightstand before scrambling up onto the sheets, practically pouncing into Peggy's arms. "Happy birthday Mummy!" Sarah exclaimed loudly, feeling triumphant at the fact they had managed to surprise her with a birthday breakfast in bed.

"Thank you my little love. It smells delicious." Peggy enveloped her daughter into a big hug, kissing her soft blonde hair. By this point, Daniel had placed the tray of food down onto the bed, before perching himself next to her. He had a large soppy grin on his face watching his girls sharing a tender mother-daughter moment together. Peggy lifted her head and locked eyes with Daniel's, marveling in the happiness she was feeling.

"Happy birthday, Peg."

"Thank you, Daniel."

"You better eat up, before it gets cold." Daniel carefully lifted the tray and placed it gently onto Peggy's lap, watching with an amused smirk as Peggy eyed up the array of food he had made for her. With Sarah snuggled protectively into her side, she breathed in the wonderful smell of bacon and fresh bread, feeling her mouth salivate in satisfaction.

"This looks amazing, but what about breakfast for you two?" Peggy queried, raising a perfectly arched brow.

"We've already had our breakfast, haven't we squirt?" Daniel asked, glancing at the little girl, who nodded her head in response.

"You really didn't need to go through all of this fuss just for me. Thank you my darlings." Peggy smiled warmly at her boyfriend and daughter, feeling incredibly lucky at their love and generosity.

"But it's your birthday Mummy!" Sarah chimed in, grinning widely at her mother, whom she adored and idolized.

"You've been working hard and you deserve to have a special day where you get spoiled, mi amor." Daniel chimed in, smirking as he called her his pet name in Portuguese.

"I love it when you call me that." Peggy teased, grabbing his forearm, tugging him closer to press her lips gently to his, careful of the tray on her lap.

A sudden noise from their daughter snatched them from the tender moment, their heads whipping round in a flash. "Yuck! Icky kisses!" Sarah whined, covering her eyes dramatically with her hands.

"Oh, it's icky is it?" Daniel carefully reached out and grabbed the little girl, pulling her into his arms and peppering her face with kisses, tickling her in the process.

"Stop! No! Stop!" Sarah belly laughed as she squirmed in Daniel's arms, trying to get free. When the tickling finally subsided, Sarah wriggled away and crawled over to Peggy, before snuggling into her side once again, a playful pout on her lips.

"There's no denying who you got that pout from, Sarah." Daniel sniggered, watching as the little protruded her bottom lip out even further.

"Enough of the cheek." Peggy playfully scolded Daniel, before wrapping her arm around Sarah once more, planting a gentle kiss into her hair.

"I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." Daniel spoke suddenly, getting up off the bed and grabbing his crutch to steady himself.

Not even bothering to ask what Daniel was up to, Peggy happily tucked into her food. Daniel crutched his way out of the room to retrieve Peggy's presents, and when he returned to the bedroom, Peggy eyed up the small bundle of gifts in his hand. "This is too much." Peggy exclaimed before discarding her half eaten tray of food to the side, impatient and eager to see what they had gotten her for her birthday. Tearing into the wrapping paper of the first present, both Daniel and Sarah watched closely to see Peggy's reaction. A small gasp left her lips as she opened the newly exposed box. Pushing it open, a brand new, very expensive looking watch stared up at her. Peggy could feel her eyes filling with tears, slowly lifting her head to meet Daniel's gaze. "It's beautiful, but this must have cost you a fortune, Daniel."

"Don't worry about money, Peg. You know I'd spend my last penny on you and Sarah." Daniel smiled warmly at her, noticing the happy tears pulling in her eyes. "I know you were upset about your Nana's watch breaking at work, so I wanted to get a similar one for you."

"Do you like it Mummy?" Sarah's little voice caught Peggy's attention, and she glanced down at her daughter, nodding her head.

"I absolutely love it my darling." Peggy leant down and pressed a kiss to her head before gazing up at Daniel once more. "Thank you."

"You still have this one to open Mummy!" Sarah had picked up the next and final gift, eager to see what her mother's next reaction would be. Peggy took the next object and unwrapped it carefully, instantly recognizing the packaging on the chocolate bar. A massive grin spread across her face; for Daniel had managed to get her multiple bars of her favourite chocolate, Fry's Peppermint Cream.

"How on earth did you manage to get this? We don't get them over here in America." Peggy exclaimed, remembering the last time she had a piece of this chocolate bar; when they visited her family in England back in 1948.

"I may have called in a favour or two." Daniel spoke with a small smirk on his lips, knowing he had been successful on the birthday gift front. "Now come on, eat up. We have a day at the beach to get ready for." Daniel announced, which gained a loud gasp from the little girl by Peggy's side.

"The beach! I can't wait!" Sarah scrambled up onto her feet, bouncing up and down excitedly. "I'm going to build lots of sandcastles and play in the sea!"

After breakfast the tray and plates were cleared away, and Daniel told Peggy to take her time getting ready; this was her special day, and he wanted her to relax and enjoy it as much as possible. Whilst Peggy was in the bathroom getting organized, Daniel found himself in the kitchen, washing and drying the dishes. Sarah, who was already dressed and ready to go, was sat at the table, drawing with her crayons. Visiting the beach was one of her favourite things to do, and unlike her mother she absolutely loved the hot L.A. sunshine. Sarah especially loved it when both her parents could take her to the beach and spend time with her. The little girl switched between calling Daniel by his name or by 'Dad.' Although she was only three years old, Sarah was very intelligent for her age, understanding that Daniel wasn't her biological father. Peggy very much wanted to keep Steve's memory alive for Sarah, but reminded her that it was okay for her to call Daniel 'Dad' too if she wanted. Daniel was a fantastic father figure in her life, and he loved her with all of his heart, but he promised that he would never try to replace Steve.

Once Daniel had finished his task of clearing away the mess from breakfast, he limped over and sat down on the chair next to Sarah. "What you drawing squirt?" Daniel asked as he peered over to the piece of paper Sarah was concentrating on.

"You, me and Mummy. See." She pointed excitedly at her masterpiece, Daniel grinning in response.

"That's great. You've certainly got my ears right." He chuckled; those darn ears made him so self-conscious, but Peggy always assured him that she found them utterly adorable.

Daniel was so lost in thought chatting away to Sarah, that he failed to hear Peggy entering the room. "What's going on in here?" She asked approaching her boyfriend and daughter at the table.

"I drew a picture of us Mummy. Look!" Sarah excitedly waved the piece of paper and Peggy accepted it greatfully.

"This is beautiful Sarah." She leant down and pressed a kiss to her hair before announcing that she was ready to go the beach and continue her birthday celebrations.

* * *

The day at the beach had been wonderful, filled with lots of laughter, games and good food. Peggy had lucked out and hadn't found herself burnt to a crisp, and Daniel had a lovely glow to him after being in the sun all day. Sarah had had an absolute ball, swimming in the sea with her mother, building sandcastles and feeling the golden sand beneath her toes.

The day was now drawing to a close, and Daniel announced that it was time for the final part of Peggy's birthday plans; for Daniel had one final surprise left for her. After collecting their things, the family of three headed back to their car and Daniel started to drive them up to a very picturesque lookout point; the Griffith Observatory. This was a place that Peggy had always wanted to go to since moving to L.A, but free time was something that was rare for her these days. In the last year, she and none other than Howard Stark had started building a new agency that was to be named the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, or S.H.I.E.L.D for short. They had decided on the name as a way of keeping Steve Rogers's memory alive, honouring the hero that he was. The agency was very much still in the beginning stages of development, but they seemed to be making great progress. They had finally decided on a place to build the new agency after much discussion; Washington D.C. It would mean another move across the country, but both Peggy and Daniel would be much closer to New York and to their friends and family. Although Peggy worked ungodly hours to see that the agency was a success, she always made sure to spend time with her family as much as possible.

From the lookout point, the sunset over the hills made it look like a still from a movie, the orange and red colours filling the sky. Peggy was stood next to Daniel, with Sarah holding her hand, admiring the scene before them. "It's a beautiful view, isn't it?" Peggy questioned, and Sarah muttered a quiet 'aha' in agreement. With no response from Daniel, Peggy rotated her head to the side, and was met with him staring at her lovingly. Peggy softly bit her bottom lip, her cheeks flushing at the look of complete adoration in his eyes. Despite being together for a few years now, he still made her feel like a love struck teenager just by one look; how did she get so lucky?

"Peg?" He questioned, suddenly feeling very nervous about what he was about to do.

"Yes Daniel?"

Daniel nervously shuffled about, dispersing his weight from good leg to bad. Finally, he cleared his throat and reached into the pocket of his trousers. He revealed a small velvet box and slowly knelt down, his crutch now discarded beside him. He had been practicing this move for weeks now, wanting it to be perfect. Peggy's free hand shot up to cover her mouth in an instant, knowing what was about to happen. They of course had spoken about their future together, but with the move to L.A. and the setting up of S.H.I.E.L.D, things had been rather hectic. Daniel had been thinking about proposing to Peggy for a while now, and now things were going well with the new agency, he decided that now was the right time.

Daniel reached out for her hand, which Peggy lowered from her mouth and grabbed onto. "Peggy Carter. Ever since we met in the SSR office, I knew that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You're stubborn, headstrong and the most beautiful woman I have ever known. We've had our fair share of ups and downs over the years, some stressful times but also wonderful ones too. I feel so incredibly lucky that you chose me, and have accepted me for who I am, crutch and all, when you could have had anyone you wanted to. You know I adore both you and Sarah. You are a fantastic mother, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Peggy, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife and marrying me?" He finished his speech, internally praying that she would say yes.

After a moment, Peggy finally managed to find her words. "Yes." Peggy choked out a response, tears starting to trickle down her cheeks. "Yes Daniel, of course I will marry you!" She used her free hand to grab a fistful of his shirt, pulling him to his feet and crashing her lips with his.

Breaking away from the kiss, Daniel took the ring out of the box before slipping it onto Peggy's ring finger. The band was elegant with a small jewel in the middle; Daniel knew that Peggy wouldn't want something big and extravagant, but he felt this ring fitted her perfectly. After admiring the ring for a moment, Peggy lifted her gaze to meet Daniel's before pulling him in for another tender kiss. Little Sarah watched her parents with a massive grin on her face, before jokingly started making kissing noises. Hearing her daughter teasing them, Peggy turned round and scooped Sarah up into her arms playfully. "You're a cheeky little thing, aren't you my darling?" She asked, before planting several kisses to her daughter's face, giggles erupting from her in response. After settling down from the bombardment of kisses, Sarah glanced over at Daniel, a small appearing on her face.

"I'm happy you're marrying Mummy." Those words that came from her lips made Daniel's heart swell, wondering how someone so small could have such a wise head on her shoulders.

"Come here squirt." Daniel gestured to Peggy and she placed Sarah in his arms, marveling at the happiness he was feeling. As Sarah snuggled into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, Peggy wrapped an arm around the small of his back to help him balance, before placing a tender kiss to his cheek.

"This will certainly be a birthday to remember. Thank you my darling." Peggy spoke quietly, Daniel's proposal still sinking in. A contented sigh left her lips before turning her head back round the watch the rest of the sun setting over L.A.

A lot had happened since her beloved Steve Rogers went down with the plane in 1945. Part of her would always love Steve, but the love she had for Daniel was like no other she had ever felt before.

Soon, they would be starting the next chapter of their lives, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eeeeeee!!! Thank you so much for reading! 


End file.
